


Young Pricefield Story

by ultimatekaykay



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Middle School, Lesbians, Multi, Original Character(s), Young Love, pricefield, young pricefield
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-11 22:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5644456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultimatekaykay/pseuds/ultimatekaykay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Previously Young Pricefield One-Shots; decided to turn it into a story since the chapters weren't really one-shots and they were in chronological order. A story based prior to when Max left for Seattle. Enjoy! (Completely AU) [Originally published on fanfiction.net]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day At The Beach

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy this small story I came up with and published to fanfiction.net before I signed up for AO3. I changed the one-shots to actual chapters since the first few I wrote actually formed a story. Sorry if they don't flow smoothly, I decided to make them into a story around Chapter 9 or 10.  
> Warnings: Language, suggestive themes

Max hated seeing her being so close with someone that wasn’t her.   
He was a boy that she didn’t even know that well; she deserved better than that. He gave Max a bad feeling. It wasn’t about his personality or anything; Max was only slightly acquainted with him. It was just something about his appearance that made her feel odd. Maybe it was because she felt that he made Chloe happier than she did. The boy surely only liked Chloe because she was pretty. Well, to Max, she was beautiful, but she would never tell her that to her face and mean it the way she wanted. He gave Max a bad impression.  
But there she was with him, laughing and looking truly happy. Even though she hated to admit it, Max was jealous. She had begun to develop a small crush on her best friend, even though she knew it was wrong. She was only twelve years old, and although she was only a year older than her, Chloe felt much older and more mature. Max felt like a little kid compared to Chloe. She could never compete, and she always felt younger. That’s why she could never tell Chloe about her feelings. Also, she knew Chloe wasn’t attracted to girls; she had a boyfriend. A suspicious, strange boyfriend. But he seemed to make Chloe happy. Maybe Max was just being paranoid.  
Max was spending the day with Chloe at the beach, and Chloe’s parents came along. Of course, Chloe invited Carter to join them. Max had been hurt; as it was meant to be a day for just the two of them. She understood that she had no right to be possessive, and that Chloe was happy and could spend time with someone else as well as her. Chloe could have more than one friend. She kept telling herself that Chloe was not her property, but she still felt jealous.  
Max was not exactly comfortable running around in her blue one-piece bathing suit, as she was “developing” and felt self-conscious. Chloe was the opposite. She was sporting a floral bikini that wasn’t too revealing, yet showed off her petite, slightly curvy figure. Chloe had started puberty earlier than Max, and it showed as she ran cheerfully near the water. Max wished she could be as carefree as Chloe. Max preferred to keep away from the excitement; she was lying down on a beach towel close to Joyce and William, who were relaxing in the warm sun. She watched Chloe and Carter having fun near the water and wished that she was in the place of the boy. Max thought back to when it was just her and Chloe. Now that Carter had entered the picture, Max didn’t feel so special anymore. Boys ruin everything.  
Max watched as Carter chased after Chloe, both laughing. Chloe’s feet splashed in the water as she moved, Carter’s following after. He took a hold of her hand and looked at her lovingly, and she returned it. He bent down to kiss her, and she leant up and accepted, giggling. Good for Chloe, falling in love with someone taller than her. There weren’t many. Max could feel her cheeks burn red. She peeked over at Joyce and William. Joyce was reading a book, and William was watching his daughter thoughtfully. Max guessed she wasn’t the only one taking notice of Chloe and her boyfriend’s undisguised displays of affection.  
‘Looks like she’s enjoying herself, isn’t she?’ William asked. Max immediately looked at him.  
‘I guess so,’ Max replied. William stared at her for a minute.  
‘Are you alright, Max?’ He asked.  
She wanted to tell him no. She wanted to tell him her feelings for Chloe, and that she didn’t like Carter at all. But she decided that feigned happiness was the best way to go.  
‘Yeah,’ she told him, ‘I’m just happy that Chloe’s having so much fun.’ William could see right through her.  
‘I know this is hard on you,’ he said. ‘Chloe having a boyfriend and all. I know you feel left out. I’m a little sceptical myself, to tell you the truth. But it’s her first relationship, and it should count.’  
‘I don’t want her to lose interest in me,’ was what Max could think of saying. ‘I don’t want her to forget me just because she met a boy.’  
‘She won’t,’ said William. ‘You’re her best friend, and always will be.’  
Max wished that were true. But she couldn’t help feeling that she would just become a used-to-be-best-friend. She gritted her teeth and focused on the sky. It was a beautiful day; the sky was perfect blue with no clouds in sight. Max pulled her Polaroid camera out of her bag, the one her mother had gotten her for her birthday. She loved to take pictures, and wanted to be a photographer. She snapped a picture of the ocean. As she stared at the developing photo, she snuck a glance at her best friend. She was still playing around with Carter. Max tried to ignore it. She looked at the fully-developed photo and it was a great shot. The sun was in view, and the line where blue met blue was nice and clear. She placed the photo on the towel beside her. After a moment of hesitation, she quickly took a photo of Chloe and Carter. She waited for it to develop, and when it did, she was amazed at how nice the shot was. It showed Chloe in the midst of running, with Carter racing after her. There was a bit of blur where one of her feet left the ground to perfectly show movement. Her long, blonde hair flew behind her, and her smile was bright and beautiful. Max thought she looked stunning. After what seemed like an eternity of staring at the picture of her best friend, she finally put it down next to the last one of the horizon.  
Max shifted her gaze back to the happy couple. She looked over quick enough to see Carter pick Chloe and up and carry her bridal style. Their noses touched and Max could see the expression on Chloe’s face. It was one of pure love. Max’s best friend was in love, there was no denying it. Max felt her face screw up as they kissed once more, before Carter put Chloe down and she laughed. They faced out to the ocean and Chloe rested her head on the boy’s broad shoulder. He slung one pale arm around her shoulder and she put hers around his waist. His other rested just above her bottom. Max watched in fury as his hand went down to touch the bottom of her bikini.   
She pushed herself off the towel and stormed towards the two thirteen year olds, ignoring the confused looks from Joyce and William. As she got closer, Chloe and Carter turned around.  
‘Woah, Max! What’s wrong?’ Chloe asked, surprised. Max didn’t answer her. Instead, she turned to look at Carter. He looked genuinely shocked. He didn’t understand what was going on. Max didn’t know what to do, so she did the only thing she thought of. She brought up her leg and kneed Carter right in the groin.  
‘Shit!’ He exclaimed before falling to the floor, clutching the assaulted area. Chloe was surprised for a moment, then her expression immediately changed to anger.  
‘What the hell, Max?’ Chloe said before bending down to help her boyfriend.   
‘I’m sorry, I… I don’t know what I was thinking. I--’ Max stuttered, but Chloe stopped her.  
‘Are you serious? He’s really hurt! I can’t believe you did that!’ Chloe almost yelled as she cooed to Carter and cradled him in her arms. Joyce and William ran over to see what the commotion was all about. Max could feel the rage boil inside her. All she needed was to let it out.  
‘What the fuck, Carter?!’ Max shouted. ‘What were you doing, grabbing her ass like that, huh? You’re just a horny bastard, that’s it! I hope you enjoyed those fifteen seconds, because it won’t be happening again! Enjoy the friend zone, loser!’   
Max stormed off towards the parking lot, not bothering to grab any of her stuff. She ran all the way to where the Prices’ car was parked, and tried to open the door, but it was locked. She slumped beside it, trying not to cry. She had just fucked up her relationship with her best friend, not to mention made Chloe’s and Carter’s stronger. She didn’t even know she had that courage and strength in her. Carter didn’t even deserve it. She felt terrible.   
She heard footsteps come towards her, and she glanced up. She didn’t even flinch as Chloe sat down next to her. They were silent for a few moments before Chloe spoke.  
‘So… Why did you do that?’  
‘Chloe, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I guess I was just jealous because you were spending so much time with him and I didn’t want you to forget about me. I didn’t want to lose you. I just went into protective mode when I saw him touching your butt, because I don’t want you to get too involved with him and less with me. I can’t even believe I did that. I’m really sorry.’  
‘Max, I will never forget about you, and you always need to remember that. I’m sorry for spending so much time with Carter and leaving you out a lot. It’s just… He’s my first boyfriend and I want him to like me. You’ll understand when you fall in love. And to be honest, I wasn’t too fond of him touching me either.’   
Chloe looked at Max and smiled. Max rested her head on the taller girl’s shoulder and felt time slip away. She hoped that this moment would last forever. As both girls gazed at the slowly setting sun, hand in hand, they knew that they would always remember this moment.


	2. Newfound Talent

‘Which album, Max?’ Chloe asked. Max was spending the night at Chloe’s house, and the two girls were currently in Chloe’s room. Max was seated on the bed, and Chloe was rummaging through her CD rack, waiting for her best friend’s reply.  
‘I like Born to Die,’ said Max, taking her hair out of its ponytail. Chloe liked the music of quite a few artists, Lana Del Rey being one of her favourites.  
‘Yes! That’s a good one,’ Chloe exclaimed happily. She took the disc out of its case and put it in the stereo.  
‘Which song?’ Chloe asked.  
‘I’m not bothered,’ Max replied. ‘You choose.’  
‘Okay,’ Chloe said. She always got a bit frustrated when Max wouldn’t tell her what she wanted. She was always too scared to, and Chloe kept telling her that she shouldn’t be afraid to speak up. Especially when it came to music. The two girls had completely different music tastes, so Chloe put on a song that she thought Max would like.  
After starting the song, Chloe shimmied over to her best friend and pulled her up to her feet.  
‘Come on, Max! Dance with me!’  
Max was always so shy, and sometimes it pissed Chloe off. She thought one concept of being best friends was that you didn’t have to be afraid of what the other thought of you. She roughly grabbed Max’s hands again and pulled her around with her, dancing energetically in time with the music. Max was blushing, and when Chloe saw, she rolled her eyes.  
‘You don’t need to be embarrassed, Maxi-pad!’ Chloe teased, and Max giggled at the nickname.   
‘I can’t dance, Chloe,’ Max said shyly. Chloe stopped and looked at her.   
‘You don’t need to know any fancy dance moves,’ Chloe said, throwing her arms around Max’s shoulders. ‘You just need to have fun! You think I know how to dance? I look ridiculous, but I don’t care!’ Chloe moved closer to Max and wrapped her in a hug. Max loved Chloe’s hugs; they made her feel so warm and safe. As they pulled apart, Chloe looked straight into Max’s eyes. Max couldn’t help but get lost in Chloe’s azure ones. She was tempted to move closer to feel more of Chloe’s warmth and maybe kiss her, but wouldn’t dare. Chloe pushed away from Max gently, grabbed her hands and started to dance again.  
‘Don’t be embarrassed!’ she shouted, smiling and twirled Max around.  
Chloe started to sing along to the song.  
‘Shimmering, glimmering darling,  
White bikini off with my red nail polish,’ Chloe sung, half-jokingly. The next few lines were sung more seriously.  
‘Watch me in the swimming pool, bright blue ripples,  
You sittin’, sippin’ on your black Cristal, oh yeah,’ Chloe continued. As Chloe sung into the pre-chorus, the expression on Max’s face changed from her own embarrassment to one of pure amazement. Max thought Chloe had a beautiful voice; soft and higher in pitch, but loud enough to be heard and very clear. She had never heard Chloe sing like that before. Chloe became aware of Max staring at her and turned red. She sat down on the bed and turned away, clearly uncomfortable. She gave a shaky laugh.  
‘I’m terrible, aren’t I?’ she asked. Max looked at her.  
‘No, not at all,’ she responded. ‘You have a wonderful voice.’  
She sat down next to Chloe on the bed.  
‘You never told me you took voice lessons.’  
‘I don’t,’ Chloe chuckled. ‘I just sing when I’m alone sometimes.’  
‘You should take lessons,’ Max said.  
‘You think I need them?’ Chloe joked.  
‘No!’ Max cried, and Chloe laughed. ‘I meant that your voice is worth the lessons.’  
Chloe smiled at her best friend. For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the transition from the chorus to the second verse of the song.   
‘Can you sing again?’ Max asked hopefully. Chloe went blank.  
‘I guess,’ she said hesitantly. ‘But I have to put a song on that’s more suitable for my voice.’  
‘You don’t need music,’ Max said. ‘Just sing.’  
Chloe thought for a moment, then lit up. She cleared her throat and began to sing. The whole time she sung, she never made eye contact and her face was red. She was clearly embarrassed.  
‘Looking for a little light to illuminate  
The truth in the stillness after everything is blown away,  
Life fades in the cuts and the struggles  
I just need a light at the end of the tunnel,’ Chloe sung. Max had never heard that song, and she wasn’t surprised. She didn’t bother with asking for the name of the song. Chloe was silent after those few lyrics.  
‘You can keep going,’ Max said, waiting to hear more of her friend’s beautiful voice.  
‘That’s all you’re getting today,’ Chloe said abruptly, still red.  
‘Oh… Okay,’ Max said, hurt. She thought that best friends were meant to trust each other.  
‘Chloe,’ Max said, walking up behind the taller girl. Chloe had tried to pretend to be busy by fixing her CD rack, but Max saw right through her. Max buried her face in Chloe’s back and wrapped her arms around her chest. The two just stood there for a moment before Chloe shrugged her off and sat back on the bed. Max followed her.  
‘Don’t be embarrassed,’ Max said, remembering Chloe’s words from before. Chloe looked down at her. ‘You have a great voice. And even if you didn’t, it wouldn’t matter. You just need to have fun. You think I can sing? I really can’t, but I do it anyway!’ Max went on.  
‘You don’t ever need to be scared of singing in front of me. You do have a talent, though.’  
Chloe hugged Max. She realised it didn’t matter what Max thought of her, she would always be her best friend, no matter what. And maybe she did have a talent.   
‘What song do you want to hear?’ Chloe asked, and Max smiled.


	3. Truth Or Dare

When Max and Chloe had sleepovers, Max usually slept at Chloe’s house. But this time, Chloe had insisted on sleeping at Max’s house for a change. Like always, Joyce and William were all for it. They never minded what their daughter did as long as it was safe, and they weren’t overly strict. Max’s parents were a bit doubtful about it, though. It wasn’t that they didn’t like Chloe, they were just quiet people, much like their daughter. Chloe was the complete opposite; loud with a don’t-care attitude, and they thought that she was a bad influence on Max. But after much pleading from both girls and the approval of Joyce, Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield had finally accepted.  
So the two girls were just relaxing in Max’s room, listening to music, painting each other’s nails and chatting. Max had turned thirteen a week ago, and finally felt like she had caught up to Chloe. Vanessa came in every twenty minutes to ask how they were and what they were doing. Every time they had been fine, but Vanessa didn’t seem to trust Chloe. A few months ago, she had walked in on Max and Chloe in Chloe’s room when the two families were having a barbeque; they were listening to explicit music and Chloe had explained that it was hers. Vanessa had gotten protective of Max and said that what Chloe was listening to wasn’t appropriate for both of them. Chloe had stood up for herself and went a bit over the edge of back-talking, and Vanessa was not impressed. Since that day, Vanessa had always been cautious of Chloe around Max.  
‘Mom, we’re fine,’ Max told her mother impatiently. ‘You don’t need to come in every five minutes.’  
‘I’m just making sure you’re okay,’ Vanessa said, making eye contact with Chloe for a second before Chloe looked away. Vanessa kissed the top of Max’s head before walking out of the room, gently closing the door behind her. The two girls were silent for a moment and Chloe looked uncomfortable.  
‘Your mom doesn’t like me, does she?’ Chloe asked. Max tried to act like she didn’t know what she was talking about for her friend’s sake. She wanted to avoid hurting her feelings.  
‘Of course not,’ Max said, taking the taller girl’s hand. ‘We just can’t listen to Eminem around her anymore.’  
‘I don’t think it’s just the music,’ Chloe said grimly. Max thought about wat to say.  
‘Well,’ she started hesitantly. Chloe cut her off.  
‘I knew it.’  
‘Chloe, she’s just protective of me! She can’t help it.’  
‘What do you mean?’ Chloe asked, hurt.  
‘For starters, you swear a lot,’ said Max, trying to word what she was trying to say right. ‘Plus, you talked back to her, and it made you come across as rude.’  
‘She had no right to get into my business,’ Chloe spat. ‘She’s just holding a grudge.’  
‘I guess.’  
They were silent for a while. In that time, they could hear Ryan and Vanessa arguing downstairs.  
‘It’s about me,’ Chloe said, chin resting on her palm.  
‘You don’t know that,’ Max said. ‘Stop talking shit about my mom like that.’  
‘And you say I swear a lot.’  
‘Chloe, let’s just forget this. She doesn’t hate you, okay? She just doesn’t appreciate your choices.’  
Chloe punched her friend in the arm.  
‘Ow!’  
‘Baby.’  
‘I’m not a baby.’  
‘Are too.’  
‘Chloe, you’re being ridiculous,’ Max laughed and rolled her eyes. Chloe’s eyes lit up.  
‘I have an idea,’ she said.  
‘What?’ Max asked.  
‘Let’s play Truth or Dare!’ Chloe said.  
‘Sure.’  
‘I’ll go first! Truth or dare?’ Chloe asked her best friend excitedly.  
‘Uh… Truth,’ Max said.  
‘Playing it safe, I see,’ Chloe joked. She thought for a moment. ‘Let’s start basic. Who do you have a crush on?’  
Max blushed. She couldn’t tell Chloe that she, in fact, had a crush on her. She just couldn’t; Chloe would be disgusted.  
‘Um, no one…’ Max said shyly.  
‘Liar!’ Chloe shouted. ‘Tell me the truth.’  
‘I did! I don’t have a crush on anyone.’  
‘Whatever. My turn!’ Chloe said.  
‘Okay,’ Max said, running a hand through her hair. ‘Truth or dare?’  
‘Easy! Dare,’ Chloe replied.  
‘I dare you to… Text Carter.’   
‘Is that all?’ Chloe laughed.  
‘Tell him that you’re breaking up with him,’ Max said, then thought of something to add to it. ‘Then say, “Sorry, wrong person.”’  
Chloe went white.  
‘B-But… He’ll think I’m serious!’  
‘That’s the point. You chose dare, you have to do it.’  
‘But… That’s really mean!’  
‘It’s a dare, Chloe.’  
‘Fine! Fine. But can I tell him it was a dare afterwards?’  
‘Nope.’  
‘…Okay, but… You owe me,’ Chloe said, taking her phone off of Max’s nightstand. She quickly typed out a message to her boyfriend.  
Chloe: I’m really sorry, but I think we should break up. Things just aren’t working out between us, and I don’t want to drag it out longer than it needs to be. I’m sorry.   
Chloe: Oops, sorry. Wrong person   
‘There,’ Chloe said, trying not to make a big deal about it. It was strangely out of character to be a dare from Max. She wondered why she made it so harsh, but decided not to question it. Right at the moment. ‘Truth or dare?’  
‘Truth,’ Max said, slightly regretting what she told Chloe to do.  
‘Okay, here it is,’ Chloe said, ready for some answers. ‘Why did you dare me to do that?’  
Max went blank before replying.  
‘Um, because I don’t like him.’  
‘Really?’  
‘No. I was joking. Sort of. Anyway, I guess I did it because you always dare me to do crazy shit and I wanted you to get a taste of your own medicine.’  
‘Example?’  
‘You once dared me to flip off my grandma.’  
‘Don’t blame me,’ Chloe said, shrugging. ‘Blame her. She was being a bitch.’  
‘Truth or dare?’ Max sighed.  
‘I’ll go for truth this time,’ Chloe responded, examining her nails.  
‘Um…’ Max couldn’t think of anything. ‘How far have you, uh, gone with him?’  
Now it was Chloe’s turn to blush.  
‘Do I have to answer?’  
‘Yep.’  
‘Don’t tell anyone.’  
‘Why would I do that?’  
‘I dunno. Um, well… I let him feel up my shirt. And we’ve made out and stuff.’  
‘Ah. I see,’ Max said, staring straight at an uncomfortable Chloe. ‘That’s a bit much for two fourteen year olds, don’t you think?’  
‘Uh…’ Chloe didn’t know what to say.   
‘What was it like?’ Max asked.  
‘What?’  
‘Him feeling you up.’  
‘Why on earth would you want to know that?’ Chloe said.  
‘Because if you didn’t like it, I’ll kick his ass,’ Max said, and Chloe laughed.  
‘It was alright,’ Chloe answered. ‘I thought the first time anyone did that to me would be amazing, but it was just okay. It didn’t feel special, really.’  
Secretly, Max was relieved. She was saved from answering her friend from a beep from Chloe’s phone. Both girls looked at each other.  
‘Uh-oh,’ Chloe said, afraid of what was going to come. She slowly reached for her phone and checked the message.  
Carter: Was this a dare, by any chance?  
Chloe let out a small laugh and typed out her response.  
Chloe: You know me so well.   
Carter: So you didn’t mean that?  
Chloe: Of course not!  
Carter: You also aren’t seeing anyone else??  
Chloe: Never! Gotta go, love you :-)  
Carter: Love you too *kiss*  
Max’s heart fell. She had hoped that he would take it worse than that. But then she looked at her best friend, face flushed and beaming, and cursed at herself for thinking such a thing. Chloe shook it off, still smiling.  
‘Max, your turn!’ Chloe said cheerfully.   
‘I pick truth!’ Max said. Chloe grinned mischievously.  
‘What’s your bra size?’ she asked.  
‘You know I don’t wear a bra.’  
‘Why not?’  
‘I don’t have any.’ Max blushed.  
‘Bras?’ Chloe teased.  
‘You know what I’m saying,’ Max frowned.  
‘Well, you’ll get them. And you’ll hate them.’  
‘Bras?’  
‘Shut up.’  
‘What’s your bra size?’ Max asked.  
‘28B.’  
‘Is that big?’  
‘You tell me,’ Chloe said, slightly sticking out her chest.  
‘This escalated quickly,’ Max said, grinning.  
‘Well?’ Chloe said. ‘Is it big?’  
‘I guess,’ Max replied, trying not to make her embarrassment noticeable.  
‘You guess? What is that supposed to mean?’  
‘Are we still playing the game?’  
‘Nope. Tell me if my bra size is big or not,’ Chloe said impatiently.  
‘I did.’  
‘What did you mean by it?’  
‘Why does it matter?’  
‘It just does, okay?’ Chloe blurted.   
‘Well, I think it would be the average size.’  
‘Okay.’  
‘You don’t to be ashamed of them,’ Max said comfortingly. ‘I wish mine were bigger.’  
‘No, you really don’t. I hate mine.’  
‘Carter seems to like them,’ Max stated. Chloe turned red.  
‘Do you like them?’ she asked doubtfully.  
‘What the hell, Chloe?’  
‘I don’t know. I want your opinion.’  
‘Then sure.’  
‘Okay. Truth or dare?’ Chloe asked.  
‘I thought you said we weren’t playing anymore.’  
‘I changed my mind. What do you choose?’  
‘I pick dare this time,’ Max said. Chloe had an idea.  
‘I dare you to kiss me,’ she said. Max couldn’t believe her ears. Had Chloe actually just dared her to kiss her?  
‘What?’  
‘I double dare you. Kiss me now.’  
Max decided not to make herself look ridiculous and just went for it. To Chloe’s surprise, Max quickly but gently pressed her lips against her best friend’s. Chloe’s lips were soft and tasted sweet. Max wanted to stay like this forever, but knew she couldn’t, so she savoured the moment. She pulled away after a couple of seconds and immediately regretted it when she realised what she’d done.  
‘I-I’m sorry, Chloe,’ Max stuttered. ‘I just—‘  
‘Max, it’s okay,’ Chloe said gently. ‘It was a dare. And don’t worry, I won’t tell Carter.’  
Max yawned.   
‘I think we should get to bed,’ Chloe said. ‘We’re both pretty tired.’  
‘Okay,’ Max agreed. Max turned the music off and they both jumped into Max’s double bed.   
‘That was fun,’ Chloe said.  
‘Yeah,’ Max said, and yawned again. She switched her lamp off. ‘Goodnight, Chloe.’  
‘Goodnight, Max.’


	4. Jealousy

Painful was the only word Max could use to describe it.  
It was painful to see her best friend, who never paid much attention to anyone but Max, move on from her and onto this boy. It was painful to be ignored and feel forgotten by someone so important to her. It was painful to look at her best friend and see her laughing with him, and resting her head on his shoulder. It was painful to have no one to turn to, as she knew she would be the third-wheel. She was jealous.   
She was sick and tired of feeling like the only person she ever had didn’t want her around anymore. Max didn’t have any other close friends; only acquaintances and people she smiled at and greeted in the halls. She was sick of it all.  
It was lunch at school, and Max sat across from Chloe and her boyfriend at a picnic bench. As Chloe was a year older than her, they were in different grades, so she didn’t see her at all in class, nor did she feel comfortable sitting with three of their other friends: Natalie, Kyle and Justin. She was sandwiched in between Natalie and Justin; Chloe, Carter and Kyle were sitting on the other side. The three friends were okay with Max joining them, and were friendly to her, but she still felt like she didn’t belong. All she wanted was to hang out with Chloe, just the two of them. Max was eating her apple in silence, feeling very self-conscious and keeping an eye on Chloe.  
Chloe was holding hands with Carter under the table and they kept looking at each other while smiling lovingly. Max thought it was disgusting. Every time they kissed each other, Natalie would let out an ‘aww,’ and Max would look away. She hated it when they showed that they were together in public. A teacher could come by and see them at any time and tell them to stop.   
‘OTP,’ Natalie sung over and over again, swaying in her seat and bumping into Max. Max giggled, and met Chloe’s gaze. She smiled, and she looked truly happy. If only Max was as happy as her. Max looked down at her knees again to prevent any conversation including her.   
She tried to meet Chloe’s gaze and signal to her that they needed to talk, but Chloe was looking up at Carter instead. Max sighed and got up from the bench. She had finally had enough.  
‘Where are you going, Max?’ Chloe curiously asked.  
‘Bathroom,’ Max said quietly, and Chloe went back to sharing her earphones with her boyfriend. Probably listening to Melanie Martinez, Max thought. Chloe kind of had a woman-crush on Melanie. Instead of going to the bathroom, she went to the area where the people her age usually hung out. She went up to a small girl who was sitting alone at a bench, reading a book.  
‘Hi,’ Max said. ‘Do you mind if I sit here? I don’t really have many people to hang out with.’  
‘Sure,’ the girl said. ‘I wouldn’t mind at all.’  
‘Thanks,’ Max said, and sat down next to the girl.   
‘I’m Paisley,’ said the girl, fixing up her chestnut-coloured hair and giving Max a dazzling smile.  
‘Nice to meet you, I’m Max,’ Max introduced herself and returned the smile. ‘What are you reading?’  
Paisley showed Max the front cover of her book.  
‘It’s a book called Fangirl,’ Paisley laughed. ‘It’s about, well, a fangirl. It is basically about me.’  
‘Oh yeah?’ Max smiled. ‘What do you fangirl about?’  
‘Books, mostly,’ Paisley replied. ‘I’m a book nerd. I also ship Dan and Phil so much it hurts.’  
‘Who are they?’ Max asked.  
‘They’re YouTubers,’ Paisley explained. ‘They’re awesome. What are you interested in?’  
‘I like photography,’ Max said, pulling her Polaroid camera out of her bag so Paisley could see. Paisley gasped.  
‘Ooh!’ she said excitedly. ‘I’ve always wanted one of these! Can I see some of your photos?’  
‘I guess so,’ Max smiled, and grabbed some photos out of her bag. They were mostly of animals, the sky, and… Chloe. As Max showed them to Paisley, she stopped on the one she took of Chloe and Carter recently at the beach.  
‘Who’s that?’ Paisley asked, impressed with Max’s pictures.  
‘That’s Chloe Price,’ Max replied. ‘She’s my best friend… At least I thought she was until she brushed me off when she met this guy, Carter.’  
‘That sucks, I’m sorry,’ Paisley said, and put her hand on Max’s shoulder. Max flinched at the sudden sensation, one she missed from Chloe.  
‘Well, she didn’t get rid of me or anything,’ Max quickly said. ‘I feel like she doesn’t want me around anymore, and that she spends all her time with Carter. I feel unwanted, so I try to stay out of her way.’  
‘You should tell her how you feel,’ Paisley advised, then her eyes lit up with realisation. ‘Wait… Chloe Price? I heard she got a detention for, um, kissing someone in class. Like, real kissing… Like—‘  
‘I get what you mean,’ Max laughed.  
‘She seems a bit don’t-care-ish, don’t you think?’ Paisley said in a low voice.  
‘Well…’ Max looked uncomfortable.  
‘Oh, sorry, I shouldn’t be talking about her like that,’ Paisley apologised. ‘Were you friends when you were younger?’  
‘It’s okay, and yes, we were,’ Max said. ‘We used to hang out all the time, until a few months ago. Then she completely changed and it’s like I’m not important to her anymore.’  
Max was silent for a moment, before she saw a familiar blonde figure about to walk past her. Max’s eyes went wide. I wonder what happened, Max thought.  
‘That’s her,’ Max said to Paisley and pointed Chloe out to her.  
‘Oh, yeah, I recognise her,’ Paisley said. ‘She’s not wearing much.’  
Indeed, she wasn’t. She was wearing denim shorts with black converse sneakers, and her bra straps were visible under a black tank top. She was wearing a thin layer of makeup, and black nail polish with lots of jewellery. Chloe never wears make-up or jewellery, Max thought, confused. She must wear it because of Carter. I don’t see why she needs to look good for him. She already does.  
Chloe spotted Max, and her face lit up. She jogged over to her and threw her arms around her. Her expression changed when she saw Paisley, who was smiling awkwardly.  
‘You took an awful long time in the bathroom,’ Chloe said sarcastically.  
‘I’m sorry, Chloe,’ Max said, trying not to look at the tall girl towering over her. Paisley looked uncomfortable.  
‘Um… I’m gonna go,’ Paisley said slowly, then walked away.  
‘Good going, Chloe,’ Max said meanly. ‘You scared away my friend.’  
‘I thought I was your friend,’ Chloe said, hurt.  
‘If you were my friend, you wouldn’t deliberately be all over some boy that only wants you for sex,’ Max said.  
‘He does not,’ Chloe said, and sat down next to the brunette. ‘He cares about me.’  
‘Sure,’ Max said.  
‘You’re just jealous,’ Chloe spat.  
‘So what if I am?’ Max said. ‘It’s not fair. You push me away when you’re with him.’  
‘I do not,’ Chloe said. ‘You hang out with us all the time.’  
‘For what? To be a third-wheel? I feel so unneeded.’  
‘What do you mean?’ Chloe asked, genuinely trying to understand.  
‘I’m not important to you anymore, now that you’re with him.’  
‘Of course you are! It’s just that—‘  
‘I know, I know,’ Max said impatiently, ‘He’s your first boyfriend and you want him to like you. Well, maybe you should pay attention to me instead of him so much. He always has to be involved in what we do, and it’s not fair.’  
Chloe was silent for a while.   
‘I’m sorry, Max,’ Chloe said. ‘I promise I’ll spend more time with you.’  
The two girls hugged each other, and Max felt the sensation again. She wanted to stay in Chloe’s arms forever. The bell rang and signalled the students to get to class. As they stood up, Chloe put her arm around Max.  
‘I love ya, Max,’ Chloe said.  
‘I love you too, Chloe.’


	5. Jealousy: Part 2

Chloe knew she deserved this.   
She couldn’t see why she was so infatuated with Carter in the first place. She couldn’t even imagine how Max felt; probably terribly excluded and lost. She knew she deserved this awful feeling. The feeling of seeing your best friend with someone else. She couldn’t blame Max for moving on while she was clinging to a boy she didn’t even like that much. Chloe now realised that he had only been a meaningless crush. She was now even beginning to question her sexuality.  
So the only thing she could do was sit there, watching, while the aching feeling in her heart grew as the two girls laughed and had the time of their lives. There was nothing else she could do, really. Max had been growing closer and closer with this impostor, Paisley, who had taken her best friend away from her; although she knew it was all her fault. She had basically pushed Max onto her while she gave everything to Carter. Although she knew she didn’t like Carter anymore, she wouldn’t dare tell Max. She’d be so confused. Carter didn’t know either, he thought things were still the same between them. Chloe would have to end it with him soon.  
She knew she couldn’t walk up to Max and simply ask for her forgiveness. Max would never accept it, especially after their conversation yesterday. Chloe glued her eyes to the girls, who were huddled up close, reading a book together and giggling every once in a while. Chloe never read by choice; only if she had to for school, or if it was something that interested her. Paisley makes Max way happier than I do, Chloe thought, and they have more in common than we do. No wonder she likes her so much. No matter how much she tried to move, she was stuck to the bench where she was sitting. She silently prayed that Max wouldn’t look up and notice her sitting there, watching like a creep. Chloe knew that wouldn’t happen, as she was having too much fun with Paisley.  
While I was too busy devoting my every thought to Carter, I didn’t for one second consider how Max was feeling. Even when she tried to talk to me about it. She certainly felt so unimportant, and now I feel awful. She was my best friend, and I pushed her away to spend time with a guy I don’t even like anymore. Now she’s found a better friend and I’m here regretting every decision I made since I met Carter. This is my karma, and I deserve every bit of it.  
Chloe gritted her teeth as the many thoughts processed in her mind. She suddenly became determined.  
I have to make things right.  
But just as she stood confidently from her seat, Paisley hugged Max. A slow hug that you normally give someone when they’re upset, or you haven’t seen them in a while. A wave of jealousy flushed over Chloe, and she hesitantly but angrily made her way over to Max and her new best friend. As she got closer, she could see Max meet her gaze and turn her attention away from Paisley, who had no idea why her friend had suddenly turned away from her.  
‘Hey, Max,’ Chloe said, looking between the two girls nervously, but with slight confidence in her voice. Max never broke eye contact, which was unusual, since she was usually very shy.  
‘Hello, Chloe,’ Max said smoothly. She seemed pissed, and quite different than she normally was. Her voice sounded strange, and Chloe was impressed that she was finally standing up for herself. Chloe had never seen her this way before.  
‘Can I talk to you?’ Chloe asked.  
‘No,’ Max said. ‘You didn’t seem to have time for me while you were messing around with what’s-his-face.’  
‘Can I please just talk to you?’ Chloe asked again, feeling ashamed. ‘Alone?’  
‘Nope,’ Max said. ‘I’m tired of being pushed around by you, Chloe. If you have anything to say to me, you can say it. Right here, right now.’  
‘Fine,’ Chloe looked at Paisley, who avoided her burning gaze with. She was clearly feeling very awkward. ‘I’ll talk to you now. Can I sit?’  
Max nodded, and Chloe took a seat beside the two girls.  
‘Should I go?’ Paisley asked shakily.  
‘No,’ Max said. ‘Please stay. You can’t give her what she wants.’  
Paisley settled down nervously. Chloe just decided to ignore this bullshit.  
‘Max, I just want to say I’m sorry,’ Chloe started.  
‘Too late now, Price,’ Max interrupted.  
‘Let me finish,’ Chloe said impatiently. ‘It was wrong of me to completely ignore your feelings. It was so stupid of me, and I feel awful. I guess I was just so infatuated with him that I forgot about what is truly important. Our friendship’s worth more than being the girlfriend of some guy. I don’t even really like him anymore. I regret everything that made you upset, and I’m so sorry. I know you probably won’t forgive me, but I’m asking you to anyway. Just in case you say yes. But anyway, I am so sorry. I want to be your friend again. Not like this replacement. Please?’  
The girls were silent for a moment; Max thoughtful, Paisley humiliated at being called a replacement, and Chloe hopeful and waiting for an answer.  
‘I’m out of here,’ Paisley said, and hurriedly grabbed her belongings. ‘Don’t worry about me anymore, Max. I can make more friends so you can go back to yours.’  
Max watched as her new ex-friend rushed away, but Chloe’s eyes were locked on Max’s. She desperately hoped for a positive answer. She needed her friend again.  
‘I forgive you,’ Max said, and Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. ‘But you have to promise to never brush me off for a boy ever again. Okay?’  
‘I promise,’ Chloe smiled, and reached in for a hug. After a few quiet, blissful moments, both girls pulled away with a feeling of fulfilment; one they both had longed for. ‘But just to let you know, you won’t have to worry about me leaving you for a guy. I don’t think I like them very much. I’m pretty sure I’m gay.’  
Max went blank; she didn’t know what to say. Chloe smirked, then ran off, looking back once to see her friend smile at her. She smiled back.


	6. Escaping The Friend-Zone

Max’s POV  
‘You broke up with Carter?’  
‘Yes,’ Chloe sighed.  
‘Finally,’ Max said.  
The two girls were at Chloe’s house. It was seven in the evening, and Joyce and William had gone out to the cinema. They trusted the girls at home by themselves for a few hours; so Chloe and Max were all by themselves. They were situated in the living room on the couch in front of the television, a few blankets spread over the legs and bowls of popcorn and candy were being shared between them. They had decided to have a movie night, and were halfway through the first movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (A/N: Yes, I know it came out in 2012, not 2008, whatever).   
‘What do you mean?’ Chloe asked her best friend.  
‘Now I have you all to myself,’ Max said. Chloe thought she was half-joking, but Max was actually being serious.  
‘Okay,’ Chloe laughed.  
The blonde girl put her arm around Max’s shoulder, and Max leaned her head on Chloe’s.  
This is totally not romantic, Max thought to herself. This is what best friends do. Be friendly. With each other.  
‘Emma Watson is so hot,’ Chloe said. Max turned red; she was not expecting that.  
‘I guess so,’ Max said. ‘I mean, a girl-to-girl compliment.’  
‘What?’ Chloe laughed.  
‘Not in the girlfriend way. In the friend way.’  
‘If you’re acting weird because I told you I like girls, you shouldn’t,’ Chloe said. ‘This doesn’t change our friendship.’  
Aww.  
‘I know that,’ Max mumbled.  
‘Don’t act strange around me, and don’t be, like, afraid of me or anything,’ Chloe said.  
‘I know that,’ Max mumbled, delicately unwrapping a piece of candy and popping it into her mouth.  
‘What?’ Chloe asked, puzzled. ‘You are so cute, Max.’  
‘I know that,’ Max mumbled, then turned a deeper shade of red, realising what she just said. ‘Sorry.’  
‘Don’t be sorry,’ Chloe said. ‘It was weird of me to say that right after I told you I was a lesbian.’  
‘Okay.’  
Chloe shrugged and continued watching the movie. Max was silent throughout the rest of the movie, afraid she would say something stupid or offensive. She was actually relieved that her best friend liked girls. That meant that Max had a better chance with her. The brunette knew she shouldn’t think things like that about her best friend, but she couldn’t help it. Chloe was amazing.  
When the movie finished, Chloe gently took the blanket off and stood up. She walked over to the DVD player and took out the disc.  
‘What do you wanna watch next, Max?’ Chloe asked.  
‘You choose,’ Max replied, throwing the blanket off of her legs and getting up too, stretching. ‘I’m just going to the bathroom before it starts.’  
‘Okay,’ Chloe replied.  
Chloe’s POV  
After her friend rushed up the stairs, Chloe took her time choosing the next movie.  
She has the bladder of a squirrel, Chloe thought to herself, grinning.  
Chloe was a little confused at the conversation that had transpired between them. Max seemed kind of… Happy, that she liked girls, and even happier when she broke up with her boyfriend. When Chloe had come out, Max should have been supportive and sweet, not embarrassed, goofy and blushing like an idiot. Chloe couldn’t help but think it was a little weird how Max’s mind worked.  
I wonder what she thinks of up there.  
Chloe loved everything about Max: her smile, her laugh, her eyes, her photography, the way she talked, her freckles (especially those), her hair, her kindness, everything. She was beginning to develop a little crush on her, but she knew that Max would be so weirded out if she knew. So Chloe kept it to herself and hoped she didn’t give it away. She thought back to how Max was acting around her lately, and a thought creeped into her mind. An impossible, ridiculous one.  
Maybe she likes me too?  
‘What are you thinking about?’  
Chloe looked up and saw Max standing in front of her, smirking. She must’ve looked like she was in a trance or something.  
‘Oh, uh, nothing,’ Chloe said, embarrassed. ‘I picked a movie.’  
‘Cool,’ Max said and the two girls set themselves back up on the couch. As Chloe played the movie, she decided to experiment a bit to see if Max actually did like her back. She snuggled up to Max, and the brunette immediately stiffened.   
‘You okay?’ Chloe asked suspiciously.  
‘Yeah,’ Max replied, eyes glued to the television. ‘I just wasn’t expecting that.’  
‘How was school yesterday?’ Chloe asked. She had pretended to be ill so she wouldn’t have to be near Carter, who she had split up with the day before. ‘As you know, I wasn’t there. And you never tell me anything about class.’  
‘Well, we had drama class.’  
Chloe turned the volume down on the screen and looked at her best friend, intrigued. She loved hearing stories about other people’s drama classes. That was the best subject, as it was always hilarious. Plus, she loved seeing the way Max’s eyes lit up when she talked about something she was interested in.  
‘We had to create a little skit set in a restaurant,’ Max explained. ‘A boy in another group was playing the part of the waiter, and he came to the table and took the order of a Coca Cola and a salad. And he’s like, “Yeah, pizza and Coke, whatever,” and he came back with a pack of baby wipes or something. When the person receiving the meal asked what he was supposed to do with it, the guy who was the waiter picked it up and pretended to snort cocaine. Coz’, you know, Coke. Cocaine. Get it?’  
‘Oh my God,’ Chloe laughed. ‘Did that actually happen?’  
‘Yes!’ Max said, smiling. ‘Mr. Peake was so mad!’  
‘Didn’t Mr. Peake have a class who called him Mr. Peake-achu or something from Pokémon?’  
‘That would be us,’ Max said. ‘Sometimes I get headaches in class because my brain cannot comprehend some people’s stupidity.’  
‘Anything else happen?’  
‘Well…’ Max blushed, clearly uncertain of whether or not to tell Chloe. ‘You know how I, uh, got my first period this month?’  
‘Uh-huh,’ Chloe nodded.   
‘Well, I asked to go to the bathroom during class,’ Max said, ‘to, you know. Change the thing. But Mrs. Pereira said I couldn’t go because it “wastes valuable learning time” or whatever. But I really needed to. So I kept insisting and she kept asking me why. Eventually, I had to spell out to the whole class that I got my period. All the boys laughed.’  
‘Fuck them,’ Chloe growled. ‘They think that periods are gross, but that’s kind of ironic considering that they have a long, floppy piece of flesh that sticks up when they see something they want to fuck.’  
‘Well, that’s one way to put it,’ Max laughed. ‘It was so fucking embarrassing.’  
‘Would’ve been,’ Chloe agreed. ‘Don’t worry, everyone will forget about it sooner or later. And you always need to be confident with an I-don’t-give-a-shit attitude in those situations. Like me.’  
‘Sure,’ Max said slowly and Chloe playfully punched her arm. Chloe decided that Max should know what she’d been feeling. Hopefully she’d feel the same way.  
‘Max, can I tell you something?’  
‘Of course, Chloe.’  
Chloe hesitated.   
Come on, Chlo. It’s now or never.  
‘You know how I like girls?’  
‘Yeah.’  
‘Well, I, um… Think you’re awesome. You’re hella talented and pretty, and… And I think I might kind of maybe sort of like you?’  
Max’s face went blank, and Chloe got worried.  
I probably shouldn’t have done that. Good going, you fucked up your whole relationship!  
Chloe was about to apologise, but was prevented from doing so by a pair of lips on her own. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she just stood there for a second taking it in that her best friend was kissing her. And this was no dare.  
The blonde got used to it as it went along. She closed her eyes and just let it happen, enjoying and savouring it. She probably wasn’t going to get another one. Max’s lips were soft and sweet, and Chloe wanted nothing more than to deepen the kiss, but she knew that Max probably wanted to take it slow. All thoughts about and what was going to happen afterwards flew out the window as Chloe started to move her lips and completely change the course of the sweet, innocent kiss, much to Max’s surprise. But Max went with the flow, despite it being her first real, non-dare kiss. Chloe’s hands travelled from her sides to Max’s face as she cupped her cheek with one hand and placed the other on her shoulder. Max put her hands on Chloe’s waist gently, and the blonde knew that she had escaped from the friend zone. Hopefully.   
Just as Chloe’s tongue touched Max’s lip slightly, the shorter girl pulled away abruptly and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.  
‘How was that?’ Chloe asked, panting for air.  
‘It was… really good, actually,’ Max breathed.  
Kissing girls is so much better than kissing boys, Chloe thought.  
‘I’m not going back to being your friend after this, Maxaroni,’ Chloe said.  
‘I’m afraid you might have to, Che,’ Max said disappointedly, and Max frowned.  
‘Why?’  
‘Because,’ Max said, ‘Well, don’t get me wrong, I really liked that, but what will our parents think? What will people at school think? What will we even do?’  
‘Calm down, Max,’ Chloe said. ‘We don’t need to do anything. We can wait and see what happens.’  
‘Okay,’ Max sighed.   
Maybe, just maybe, I’ve escaped the friend zone.


	7. This Is What Makes Us Girls

‘So, Chloe, are there any boys you like?’  
Boys. Why does it have to be boys?  
Every once in a while, the Caulfields and the Prices would have a dinner together, usually at Chloe’s house, as Joyce was the best cook. Ryan, Vanessa, Joyce, William, Max and Chloe were sitting at the Prices’ dining table, steaming plates of half-eaten lasagne in front of them. Max and Chloe were next to each other, of course, and they were holding hands under the table, an act which was oblivious to the four adults around them. Ever since the two teens had kissed, Chloe and Max had been getting more comfortable with affection, but hadn’t kissed since. Chloe could feel a familiar redness creeping up her neck, as she always got whenever someone asked about Carter or crushes. She had begged her parents and her best friend to keep her relationship with Carter a secret, and they had reluctantly agreed. Now that they had broken up and Chloe was prospectively with Ryan and Vanessa’s daughter, she felt even more awkward answering the question Ryan had shot at her. She quickly unlinked her and Max’s fingers and tried to think of a suitable reply.  
‘Um…’ Chloe said nervously. ‘Not really.’  
‘There has to be someone you like!’ Ryan said encouragingly.  
There is someone I like, but no way in hell am I telling you now.  
‘Well…’ Chloe started, but was interrupted.  
‘Tell us who he is,’ Ryan pleaded.  
‘There is no one,’ said Chloe, embarrassed.  
‘Dad, leave it,’ Max said quickly and resumed eating. Chloe received a hand squeeze from under the table, and she flashed a subtle smile at her friend, who returned it.  
‘Why?’ Ryan asked, grinning. ‘Is there a secret going on here?’  
‘No,’ Max groaned, and her mother’s eyes widened. ‘Can we talk about something else?’  
‘We probably should,’ Joyce said quickly. ‘What’s a meme?’  
Chloe laughed, but Max tried to suppress hers by shoving a forkful of lasagne into her mouth.  
‘Don’t worry about it, mom,’ Chloe shook her head.  
‘What’s a Pepe?’ Joyce asked.  
This time, Max burst out in laughter, Chloe joining her.  
‘Seriously,’ Chloe giggled. ‘It is not something you should concern yourself with. It’s stupid.’  
‘Little Bo Pepe,’ Max whispered into the blonde’s ear, and she chuckled once more.  
The six of them continued eating in silence, until Ryan spoke again.  
‘On a completely different note,’ he said, ‘I saw a couple holding hands yesterday at the bus stop. They were so in love, I was nearly sick.’  
‘What does a little affection matter?’ Joyce an eyebrow at her husband.  
‘They were both girls.’  
Chloe’s eyes widened, and she looked at her friend, who had the same expression.  
‘Why is that so bad?’ Chloe asked innocently, and slightly angry.  
‘Because it is so unnatural,’ Ryan responded. ‘It is meant to be a man for a woman, not anything else. I’m really glad gay marriage hasn’t been legalised.’  
‘Maybe they were just friends,’ Joyce tried to relieve the tension, and was looking at Vanessa. They were both concerned with where this was going to go.  
‘No way,’ Ryan said, but was interrupted by Chloe.  
‘What do you have against gay marriage?’ Chloe asked.  
‘It’s just wrong,’ Ryan replied, shaking his head. ‘With a straight or normal marriage, one goes to work to provide for the family, usually the man, and the other stays home and takes care of the family and the house, usually the woman. It works out perfectly, and anything else won’t.’  
‘Maybe you should forget about gender roles and go take your opinion somewhere else,’ Chloe said, an angry glint in her eye and her voice becoming louder.  
‘Excuse me?’ Ryan said, shocked. ‘I am entitled to my own opinion.’  
‘You don’t have to push it onto anyone else.’  
‘Why are you taking this to heart? You’re not gay, are you? I hope not.’  
‘Why the fuck not?’ Chloe asked, beginning to get furious.  
‘Chloe!’ Joyce scolded, and Vanessa covered her mouth with her hand in surprise.  
‘I’ll just ignore that filthy word you just said, and tell you why I wouldn’t approve of you being gay,’ Ryan said, his own voice sounding angry. ‘If you’re gay, my daughter will follow your lead, and I do not want her bringing another girl home, claiming that she’s in love! She’s too young to know what she likes!’  
‘Yet you just asked me which boy I like! Shut the fuck up!’ Chloe shouted, and Vanessa’s eyes widened again.  
‘Ryan, sweetie, please just forget about this,’ Vanessa said calmly, her hand on her husband’s arm.   
‘No,’ Ryan growled. ‘She cannot get away with swearing like that. Are you aware of how your daughter is talking to me, Joyce?’  
‘She’s just doing the same as you,’ Joyce said sternly, crossing her arms over her chest. ‘She’s stating her opinion in the way she wants.’  
‘Whatever,’ Ryan said. ‘Gay marriage is not natural, and I do not approve of same-sex couples. I especially do not approve of anyone I know being gay, including you.’  
‘Ding dong, your opinion is wrong!’ Chloe yelled.  
‘No, yours is,’ Ryan said. ‘Just—‘  
He was interrupted by a loud sob, and everyone turned around to see Max rush from the table and up the stairs, crying. Chloe turned back to her friend’s father and stuck up her middle finger at him.  
‘Fuck you,’ she almost whispered, angrily, and ran after Max.  
Holy shit, that was… fucking insane, Chloe thought to herself. He made me so furious just then. He’s going to pay for saying all that crap. And for making my beautiful Max cry.   
She slowly threw open her bedroom door and found Max sitting on her bed, facing away from her. She was audibly crying, and Chloe swore she felt her heart crack a bit. She locked her door so they wouldn’t be interrupted. They were about to have a serious heart-to-heart.  
‘Max?’ Chloe said softly, and walked over to her friend, placing a hand on her shaking shoulder and sitting down next to her. ‘I am so sorry.’  
‘You have nothing to be sorry for,’ Max choked out. ‘My dad does. I can’t believe he said all that shit.’  
‘Me neither,’ Chloe said. ‘I was just trying to stand up for myself, and you maybe, but I got a bit carried away. You know me, once I start, I can’t stop.’  
‘I don’t know if I’m actually a lesbian, Chloe,’ Max whispered, not looking at the taller girl. ‘I just like you.’  
‘Oh,’ Chloe said. ‘Still, I didn’t like what he said.’  
She wrapped her arms around Max’s shoulders and hugged her close. She could feel Max’s small bosom pressed up against hers, but shook away any thoughts like that.   
Are you kidding me, Chloe? She’s crying, for God’s sake. Don’t think like that.  
Chloe and Max stayed in each other’s arms for a while, and Chloe savoured every moment. Max’s sobs started dying down, and Chloe pulled away when she was certain that Max was okay for her to. Chloe brought her thumb up to her friend’s cheek and gently wiped away her tears as Max smiled sadly.  
‘Are you okay?’ Chloe asked.  
‘Nope,’ Max said. ‘Are you okay?’  
‘I’m angry with your dad,’ Chloe said. ‘He needs to apologise and stop shitting all over things that he has no say in.’  
Max and shifted closer to her friend and lay her head on her shoulder. Chloe took the hint and lay down on the bed, bringing Max with her. She pulled Max in close to her, and Max nuzzled in, gripping Chloe’s blouse. Chloe closed her eyes and tried to imagine what it would be like if she and Max were a couple.   
Man, carter would be so jealous.  
Max slowly sat up and fixed up her hair.   
‘Chloe?’  
‘Yeah?’  
‘Can we kiss again?’  
Chloe’s eyes widened at her bluntness, but grinned.  
‘Sure,’ Chloe agreed. ‘I like kissing you.’  
Max laughed and leaned in. Chloe followed her lead, and soon their lips were connected. They wasted no time in moving closer and placing their hands on each other, Max’s hands on Chloe’s shoulders, Chloe’s around Max’s waist. It was a slow, but heartfelt kiss, and Chloe could feel a warmth inside her that only Max seemed to provide. Chloe smiled against Max’s lips and kissed her harder.   
Be careful, Chlo. This is only her second kiss, so you have to take it slow. Plus, she’s only thirteen and she probably wouldn’t want to go any further than this.  
Chloe didn’t listen to her own thoughts and lightly brushed her tongue against Max’s bottom lip as her hands become tangled in Max’s brown, silky hair. Max seemed taken aback, but let her in nevertheless. She obviously had no idea what to do, so Chloe encouraged her to move her tongue by rubbing her back slowly and sensually. The blonde was surprised when Max let out a soft moan, and Max seemed to be too, as she quickly pulled away.   
Aw man, she’s so cute when she’s all flustered and embarrassed.  
‘Sorry…’ Max mumbled, blushing.  
‘Don’t be sorry,’ Chloe laughed softly, and pressed her forehead against Max’s. Max closed her eyes, and Chloe got a chance to take in her features. Her long eyelashes, her cute freckles scattered over her face. She could feel her small nose pressed against hers.  
God, she’s flawless, Chloe thought with a grin. Inside and out.  
They were interrupted by a loud knock at the door, which caused them to abruptly pull away from each other in shock. All the warmth left Chloe, and she longed for the feeling to come back again.  
‘Girls, please come out,’ William’s voice called. ‘We need to talk to you.’  
Chloe gripped Max’s hand and smiled at her.  
‘Let’s do this.’


	8. Mistake

‘At least he apologised,’ sighed Chloe, chin resting on her palm.  
‘Yeah,’ Max said. ‘It was completely wrong of him to say all that. He should’ve just kept it to himself.’  
‘It wasn’t like your dad at all,’ Chloe said. ‘He’s usually not as harsh as that. It was weird.’  
‘I guess it just got out of hand,’ Max said. ‘You kept pushing him, though, with your swearing and questioning. It was your fault, too.’  
‘Oh, really?’ Chloe frowned. ‘I was just standing up for my beliefs.’  
‘So was he,’ Max said. ‘Don’t blame him when it was you just as well as him.’  
‘Whatever.’  
The two girls sat in silence for a moment, before Chloe moved over next to Max, put her arm around her waist and pulled her close. Max sighed and pulled away.  
‘Chloe, we can’t do this,’ she said sadly.  
‘Do what?’  
‘Whatever this is,’ Max replied, looking at her friend in the eye. ‘We can’t kiss and cuddle and stuff and not know what we’re doing.’  
‘We don’t have to know what it is,’ Chloe said softly. ‘We can just go with the flow, and let our feelings guide us.’  
‘A bit poetic for you, wasn’t that?’  
‘Shut up,’ Chloe shook her head. ‘If you want it to be, it can be a friendship-turned-relationship. Those are the best kind.’  
‘Chloe, I’m not sure if I want to,’ Max said shyly.  
‘Why not?’ Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow. ‘You kissed me. You like me. And I like you too.’  
‘That first kiss was an in-the-moment thing, and you are trying to use that to turn this into a relationship,’ Max said. ‘This is all so new to me, and I’m trying to figure out my feelings. And I never actually said I liked you. I just kissed you because I didn’t know what else to do.’  
‘Oh,’ Chloe said sadly, and looked down.   
Damn, I feel like shit for saying that, Max thought to herself. But she needed to know that I’m not sure if I want this.  
‘You don’t want to be with me in that way, do you?’ Chloe asked.  
‘I’m not sure,’ Max sighed. ‘I have no idea what is going on. I think we should just pretend we never kissed.’  
‘No,’ Chloe said firmly. ‘I want to be with you.’  
‘What about how I feel?’ Max asked.   
‘I know you like me,’ Chloe said. ‘I like you as well, so why can’t we be together?’  
‘What if my dad found out?’ Max asked. ‘You had a huge argument about being gay an hour ago. And I know for a fact that my mom will not like it either.’  
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Chloe said. ‘As long as we’re happy.’  
‘I’m so confused,’ Max whispered.   
‘Maybe you’re bisexual.’  
‘Chloe, I only maybe slightly like you, not other girls!’ Max said. ‘As far as I know, I’m straight.’  
‘So is spaghetti until it’s wet.’  
‘Oh my God, Chloe,’ Max shook her head. ‘Which movie did that come from?’  
‘Can’t remember,’ Chloe laughed.   
‘Anyway, I think you’re trying too hard to use that kiss as an excuse to be girlfriends,’ Max said. ‘Maybe it’s because you miss Carter, and the feeling that you have someone to go to.’  
‘What?’ Chloe asked, surprised. ‘Of course not!’   
Right on cue, Chloe’s phone beeped, and Chloe picked it up and read the text message.  
Carter: Babe, can we talk?  
Chloe sighed.  
Uh-oh. Hope it’s not Carter.  
‘It’s Carter,’ Chloe told her friend.  
Shit. What does he want?  
‘Shit,’ Max exclaimed. ‘What does he want?’  
‘Apparently he wants to talk,’ Chloe said, frustrated. She quickly typed out her response.  
Chloe: No, Carter. We’re done.  
Carter: You didn’t even tell me why you broke up with me, and I want to know ;___;  
Chloe: No emoji. And I’ll tell you later  
Carter: Tell me now, please  
Chloe: I said no, Carter  
‘He just doesn’t take the hint,’ Chloe said and threw her phone onto her bed angrily.  
‘He loves you,’ Max said, rubbing her friend’s back.  
‘I don’t get it, Maxi-pad,’ Chloe said. ‘You got jealous when I was with him, but now that I’ve broken up with him and I’m practically asking you to be my girlfriend, you don’t want to.’  
‘Like I said, I’m confused,’ Max said. ‘I like you, I really do. But it won’t work.’  
‘Okay,’ Chloe said. ‘We can still kiss though, right?’  
‘Maybe,’ Max smiled and blushed. Chloe grinned and leaned in to press her lips against Max’s.  
‘Wait,’ Max said. She led Chloe to the bed and knelt down on it. She motioned for her friend to follow her lead, and she did. The two of them were facing each other, kneeling on the bed.  
‘This is a better position,’ Max said, and Chloe forcefully kissed the brunette before she had time to know what was going on. Max carefully leaned into the pressure of Chloe’s lips, the blonde cupping Max’s cheeks. The two kissed until Max pulled away for air, but went back. This time, it was Max who nipped Chloe’s lip, and the taller girl let her in eagerly.   
Suddenly, the door opened and the girls pulled away just a bit too late. Ryan’s eyes widened in utter shock, and a hand went over his mouth.   
‘Oh my God…’ he whispered.  
Chloe and Max looked at each other, both knowing that they were screwed. Ryan walked back out the door, clearly going to get the others.  
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…  
Max started to breathe heavily, and Chloe could tell that she was panicking.  
‘Max, it’s okay,’ Chloe whispered and took the smaller girl into her arms, running her fingers through her hair as Max begun sobbing painfully.  
‘I knew this would happen,’ Max said quietly, extremely afraid. ‘Oh God, oh God, oh God…’  
‘Shh…’ Chloe soothed, rubbing Max’s back gently. She was scared too, but was more concerned with the state Max was in. She was absolutely terrified. Max buried her face into Chloe’s neck, trying to block out the fear.  
Ryan came back to the door with William, Joyce and Vanessa in tow. They were surprised, and there was a vibe about the whole situation that made Chloe feel scared shitless. Max cried into Chloe’s neck, and Vanessa gasped at how upset her daughter was. Ryan was angry, William was worried with how angry Ryan was, and Joyce was standing back with Vanessa, trying to comfort her and hopeful that her husband would take care of it.  
‘What the hell is going on?’ Ryan asked, voice low and stern.  
‘It’s not what you think,’ Chloe said in a small, scared voice. ‘Please don’t make a big deal about it.’  
Max gripped onto Chloe’s blouse, sobbing harder.  
‘Not until you tell me what the hell that was,’ Ryan spat, glaring daggers into Chloe’s scared eyes. ‘Max, sweetie, please talk to me.’  
Chloe held onto Max tighter and felt a rush of courage run through her. She returned the glare.  
‘What we just did is none of your business.’  
‘It is my business,’ Ryan shot back. ‘She is my daughter. Max, did she force you to do it? You didn’t want to, did you, honey?’  
‘It was both of our choice,’ Chloe said. ‘Don’t blame it on me.’  
‘Max, we’re going home. Right now.’  
‘No,’ Max choked out softly, refusing to look at her father.  
‘Max,’ her father gently grabbed her shoulders and pried her head away from Chloe’s neck to look at her in the eye. ‘Come on.’  
Joyce rushed over to the bed and held onto one of Max’s hands, trying to pull her away from her daughter. Max finally reluctantly let go of Chloe and let herself be led over to her mother, who took her into her arms and kissed the top of her head.  
‘Wait!’ Chloe yelled out. ‘Why are you so bothered by this?’  
William looked at her, warning her to not say anything she would regret.  
‘Because you two are best friends,’ Ryan answered, joining his wife and daughter and putting an arm around them both. ‘And you heard my rant yesterday about gays.’  
‘She’s not gay!’ Chloe shouted impatiently.  
‘You forced her into it,’ Ryan said. ‘She went along with it because you can be so dominant at times and she didn’t want her to be mad.’  
‘That’s not what happened,’ Max muttered. ‘I kissed her.’  
‘You did?’ all four adults said in unison.  
‘We both kissed each other,’ Chloe said, glancing at her friend.  
‘But why?’ Joyce asked, placing a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.  
‘Because we like each other,’ Chloe said.  
‘You’re probably just confused,’ William said carefully.  
‘Chloe, they are going home now,’ Joyce said. ‘Just stay here for a moment, and your father and I will be back to have a talk with you.’  
Chloe met Max’s sad gaze and tried her best not to let the tears fall. She bit her lip and waved goodbye to her best friend.  
I guess Max was right. Something bad did happen.  
She could feel low whispering and a few sobs from Max travel down the stairs and out the front door. She turned on her side and finally let her emotions take over as she cried and cried. Chloe wondered when the next time she would see Max was, and hoped it would be soon. She would definitely see her at school, and she could always sneak out as a last resort. Their parents wouldn’t be able to keep them apart forever. Things surely seemed bad at the moment, but they weren’t completely shitty. Chloe could think of only one thing.   
She grabbed her phone and unlocked it, finding it where she turned it off, on her messages with Carter. She quickly typed out a message.  
Chloe: I’m really fucking gay.


	9. I Love You

Chloe desperately tried to wipe away the tears that stained her cheeks as she heard creaking footsteps coming up the upstairs. She heard her door handle turn open and immediately turned to look at the wall in an attempt to pretend as though she was unaffected by the situation.  
‘Chloe?’ her mother’s sweet voice rang gently. Chloe flinched; she knew that although she thought how everyone had reacted was unfair, it was surely hard on Joyce and she didn’t deserve it.  
Joyce quietly walked over to her daughter, completely aware that she had previously been crying. With a sympathetic smile, she reached out a hand to brush a strand of hair out of Chloe’s face. Chloe silently glanced up at her mother, tear-stained cheeks illuminated by the light bulb overhead and making them as clear as day.  
‘I’m sorry, mom,’ Chloe whispered, feeling her azure eyes fill with tears once again.  
‘Oh, Chloe,’ Joyce whispered to her daughter, rubbing her back and trying to bite back her own tears. ‘You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart.’  
‘I do, though,’ Chloe mumbled, accepting Joyce’s offer of a hug and nuzzling into her neck. ‘This is all my fault. That must’ve been really hard for you to see.’  
‘I didn’t see anything, Chloe,’ Joyce said. ‘Ryan did and told us, you know that.’  
She bit her lip and pulled away from Chloe to look at her thoughtfully.  
‘Can you tell me something?’ Joyce asked, taking Chloe’s hand in her own.  
‘Sure,’ Chloe whispered, staring at their entwined fingers with a sudden feeling of worry.  
‘Why did you kiss Max?’ Joyce asked. Chloe knew that the question was inevitable, but was still clueless on how to answer it. She thought for a moment before opening her mouth to reply.  
‘I like her, mom,’ Chloe said, and Joyce’s eyes went wide. ‘And no, I’m not confused. I really do, and not just as a friend. Also… I think she likes me back.’  
‘Are you entirely sure of your feelings, Chloe?’ Joyce asked quietly, looking at her daughter in the eye.  
‘I am,’ Chloe responded. The older woman was quiet for a moment.  
‘How many times have you two kissed?’ Joyce finally asked, breaking eye contact with her daughter.  
‘Three, I think,’ Chloe mumbled.  
‘Did she… Uh, initiate the kisses, or what?’  
‘She’s pretty good, actually,’ Chloe said, letting out a small, shaky laugh.  
‘That’s not what I asked,’ Joyce said monotonously, lips slightly pursed.  
‘Sorry,’ Chloe said. ‘She… initiated the first kiss, and that was after we admitted that we liked each other. The other two times were in my bedroom.’  
She caught her mother’s wide-eyed stare and realised how wrong that probably sounded.  
‘Are you kidding, mom?’ Chloe asked, feeling a blush creep up her neck and spill onto her cheeks. ‘Not in that way. I know what you were thinking. We’ve only gotten as far as kisses, and she’s not ready for anything more. She’s too innocent and quiet, she would never do that with me.’  
I would totally do that with her, though, Chloe thought to herself, but shook her head.  
‘Oh,’ Joyce replied simply. ‘Do you think she liked it?’  
‘I sure hope so,’ Chloe said. ‘I think she did. If she didn’t, I’d feel like shit. She asked if she could kiss me the last two times, and she… What was that word again? Initiated? Yeah, that. She initiated the first kiss, like I said. The last thing I’d want is to force myself onto her.’  
‘So you think she likes you?’  
‘I hope so,’ Chloe sighed.  
‘I’m amazed at how calm and casual you’re being about this, Chloe,’ Joyce stated, eyeing her daughter.   
‘It’s a pretty casual topic,’ Chloe said. ‘It shouldn’t be made out to be a big deal.’  
‘Oh.’  
‘I know this is hard on you, and I’m sorry,’ Chloe said gently.  
‘It’s even harder on you,’ Joyce said, putting her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. ‘I couldn’t even imagine being in your place. I know that homosexuality is a sensitive topic, and I’m proud of you for standing up for what you believe in. What Ryan said was not okay, and your dad had a talk with him about it. I can see why it affected you so much, and why you got so touchy about it. And of course Max would as well. Speaking of Max, this would be extremely difficult for her, more than for you. Is she gay as well?’  
‘I’m glad you understand,’ Chloe sighed and smiled at her mother gratefully. ‘I love you so much. And Max told me that she’s confused. She isn’t sure of her sexuality, but she told me that she likes me.’  
‘Oh, Chloe,’ Joyce muttered, raising hand to her forehead. ‘What are we going to do? Vanessa and Ryan won’t let her come over again, so I don’t know when you’ll see her next.’  
‘I need to see her, mom,’ Chloe said abruptly, sitting up straight. ‘I need to talk to her about this; I don’t care what her parents say.’  
‘I’ll call Vanessa,’ Joyce said, and got up to leave the room. Just as she got to the door, Chloe spoke.  
‘Thank you so much,’ she said softly. Joyce smiled at her daughter an shut the door quietly.

‘She said that they’ll be coming over later tomorrow to discuss this,’ Joyce explained to her husband and daughter, who were eating their dinner in silence. They daren’t speak, as it would end up being awkward. Chloe knew that her father loved her no matter what, and accepted her sexuality. He didn’t even need to tell her; the way he looked at her so apologetically and not at all angry said it all.  
‘That’s good,’ William sighed, rubbing his wife’s hand. ‘We all need to talk about this.’  
Chloe had had enough.  
‘God!’ Chloe suddenly shouted and slammed her hands on the table. ‘What did I even do wrong? Is it bad to express how I feel?’  
‘Honey,’ William said calmly, ‘it isn’t wrong at all. We love you so much, and something as trivial as your gender preference doesn’t matter to us. But Ryan and Vanessa don’t understand that. They have a right to their own opinions, and we have no say in their beliefs. Don’t think that we’re treating you like you’ve murdered someone or something. We’re just worried about what’s going to happen. We’re happy for you.’  
Chloe didn’t even bother to stop the flow of salty tears that had begun to run down her face.  
‘I’m so sorry,’ she choked out, and to her parents’ surprise, ran from the table all the way to her bedroom, slamming the door and making Joyce flinch.  
Only once she was safe inside her locked sanctuary did she let herself collapse onto her bed, sobbing and shaking.   
This isn’t fair! Why do we have to be denied on her feelings? Why does it have to concern them? Why do they have to get involved in something they shouldn’t care about? Why can’t Max and I just be happy together?  
Chloe ignored the frantic knocking at her door, as she buried her face into her soft pillow, blocking out the now muffled voices outside her room.  
She picked up her phone and hurriedly typed out a message to the girl she had developed feelings for. The one she loved with all her heart.  
Chloe: I need to see you, Max.  
She figured that Ryan and Vanessa had taken Max’s phone away from her, as she didn’t receive a reply after a few minutes of sending. She waited impatiently for the brunette to text back, feeling betrayed and lonely.   
Fuck this!  
Chloe angrily threw her phone against the wall, watching the cracked screen clatter to the floor.  
Oops.  
It seemed to be still intact, and Chloe was surprised to hear a faint beep come from the almost-shattered object. She picked it up and read the message.  
Max: Mom and dad locked me in my room. I’ll climb out the window, meet me at the park near your house.  
Chloe: I’ll be there soon. Love you  
I hope that wasn’t too fast. Whatever.  
Chloe didn’t bother with grabbing anything as she rushed over to her window, praying that her parents wouldn’t smash the door open. She leaned over her desk and grabbed onto the windowsill, then pulled herself halfway through the window. As she climbed, she slashed her knee against the corner of the wooden frame. Gritting her teeth and wincing at the sudden pain, she looked down to see a trail of blood leak from the fresh wound.  
Fuck it.  
She pulled herself through the window and felt the evening breeze hit her bare legs and arms, and she shivered. She leaped from the window down onto the soft grass down below, landing on her feet and almost falling over. She regained balance and practically ran to the small park a few blocks away from their house.   
That park was where Chloe and Max would always go to be alone. It was their special place. It was situated at the edge of a quiet street, and sloped down until it hit a fence that bordered the serene greenery from the large bunch of trees. There was so much space to run around and have fun with each other, so many quiet spots behind trees or bushes to share secrets, and two park benches, one at the front and one at the back, so they could rest or simply enjoy each other’s presence.  
Chloe reached the park, out of breath and starting to sweat. She made her way down to the back bench, where she knew Max would go to find her. She sat down, waiting for her friend to arrive. They lived fairly close to each other, so the wait wouldn’t be long, hopefully. As Chloe shivered in her shorts and tank top, she became scared.  
What if she doesn’t come, and I’m stuck here waiting for ages? There are fucking creepy pedos out at this time of night, for God’s sake, Chloe. What the hell were you thinking?  
Chloe shook away any facts as she realised that Max was more important than the dangers of the night. Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to find a source of warmth.  
I really should’ve brought a fucking sweater.  
She attempted to examine her cut leg, but the sun was going down and there was no light to see.   
Fuck this.  
Chloe suddenly heard a rustling sound, and immediately snapped around to look to the spot where the sound came from, scared as fuck.   
‘Chloe?’  
‘Max?’  
Chloe was relieved to see her friend jogging towards her, and wrapped her in a huge hug.  
‘You scared me, Max,’ Chloe said, and Max pulled her closer. She leaned forward to plant a small kiss on her cheek, and Chloe grinned.  
‘I brought a flashlight,’ Max said, turning it on and immediately seeing the blood dripping down Chloe’s leg.  
‘Shit, Chloe,’ Max mumbled, leaning down to get a closer look. ‘What did you do?’  
‘I cut it escaping out the window,’ Chloe said, blushing at how concerned Max was. ‘It’s fine.’  
‘I’ll kiss it better,’ Max said, and pressed her lips against the area around the cut. Chloe whimpered.  
‘Sorry.’  
‘I’m fine.’  
‘I love you.’  
‘What?’  
‘Are you fucking deaf, Chloe?’ Max said. ‘I said I love you.’  
‘Oh,’ Chloe was taken aback. ‘As you could tell from my text, I love you too. Now, we should probably get back and explain this.’  
‘No way,’ Max said. ‘I didn’t come here to be dragged back home again. Let’s just sit down and cuddle or something.’  
Chloe grinned and took Max’s hand, leading her to the park bench. She lifted Max’s hand to her lips and kissed it softly and slowly, as Max blushed.   
‘You’re such a dork, Chloe,’ Max laughed.  
‘I know,’ Chloe replied, kissing Max’s hand again. She gently cupped her hand to Max’s cheek and tilted her head up to look at her.  
‘I really, really love you.’  
‘I really, really love you, too, Chloe.’


	10. Forever

2 Weeks Later  
Max lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling and lost in thought. The house was silent; Ryan and Vanessa were asleep and not a sound could be heard, even from outside. A cool breeze was coming in from her slightly open window, and the curtains covering it were flapping about gently. The moonlight coming in from her window was illuminating the room in a dim glow, and made the brunette feel at peace.   
It was hard for her to be at peace, though, with all that was going on. Even since that evening at the park, Chloe and Max had decided to be in a secret relationship, and Max was worried at all times. She feared that her parents would find out, and do something bad. Maybe ban the two teens from seeing each other ever again, or worse. Max squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to fall asleep and block her head from the terrible thoughts that filled her mind.  
She had been having trouble getting to sleep lately, due to stress from school and the constant worries that came with being Chloe’s girlfriend. The word ‘girlfriend’ seemed so unusual to her; it was hard to get used to, and it didn’t really suit her. Max didn’t ever think she’d have a boyfriend, let alone a girlfriend. For the past two weeks, the photographer had found herself awake past midnight, seated at her desk or lying in bed, deep in thought. She had about two to three hours of sleep each night, and she couldn’t help it. Max had dark circles around her eyes, and she was always tired during the day. She had resorted to coffee, and become quite used to the bitter taste. She often felt like drifting asleep during class because she was exhausted. She couldn’t let Chloe know, though, that she was in such an awful state because of her.  
Chloe didn’t seem to care what other people thought, and always reminded her that she would always be there for her, no matter what anyone else said or did. Max spoke of her concerns with her parents finding out, but Chloe always calmed her down and told her not to worry. Although Chloe always made her feel better and Max really appreciated it, she couldn’t help thinking about what would happen if her mother or father found out that their daughter was dating her best friend. She knew that her parents disapproved of same-sex relationships, especially her dad; he had made it pretty clear that day.   
Max couldn’t help but admire Chloe’s strength, and the way she cared for her. Max loved Chloe so much, and she knew that Chloe felt the same way. She just wished her parents weren’t so controlling.  
Why can’t everyone just be equal?  
Max repeated the question over and over in her head. She tried to fall asleep as she had to get up early in the morning, but she just couldn’t. She felt the tears fall down her cheeks. She didn’t know what to do anymore.  
Her eyes opened in a flash as she heard something at her window. Her gaze shifted to the cause of the noise, and Max suddenly became frightened. She gripped her sheets as her window was opened even more. She relaxed when she saw a long, jeans-clad leg slip through the wide gap.  
Chloe.  
‘Hey, Max,’ Chloe whispered. ‘Your parents are asleep, right?’  
‘Yeah,’ whispered Max, confused. ‘Why are you here?’  
Chloe stood up and brushed herself off.  
‘Your house is hard to climb, Maxi-pad. And to answer your question, I wanted to see you. I was worried about you.’  
‘Oh.’  
Max didn’t know what else to say. Chloe was dressed in a black coat with a blue shirt underneath, with blue jeans and black boots. A blue beanie adorned the top of her head.  
Why is she always so gorgeous?  
Chloe quietly walked over to Max, who was now sitting up in bed and staring at her girlfriend.  
‘Did I wake you up?’ Chloe asked, sitting down next to Max on the bed.  
‘I was never asleep,’ Max replied, putting a hand to her forehead.  
‘Aren’t you tired?’  
‘Yeah,’ Max said with a weak smile. ‘I can’t fall asleep.’  
‘Why not?’  
Max noticed the concern in Chloe’s voice, and knew that she could tell her. She felt herself relax her tense shoulders as the blonde began to soothingly rub her back.  
‘I guess I’m just worried about us,’ Max said.  
‘What do you mean?’  
‘Well, I love you,’ Max said, and Chloe smiled. ‘But my parents won’t like that. And if they know that we’re going out, I don’t know what they’ll do.’  
‘Don’t worry,’ Chloe said reassuringly. ‘They won’t find out.’  
‘But what if they do?’ Max asked. Her voice broke slightly, an act which Chloe noticed immediately.  
‘They won’t.’   
Max looked at her girlfriend, who pulled her close and gave her a huge hug. Max melted into Chloe’s embrace. After a few minutes, Max gave Chloe a small kiss on the lips and smiled at her.  
‘I needed that,’ Max whispered. ‘Thank you.’  
‘Anytime,’ Chloe grinned. ‘Can I turn on your lamp? I can’t see your face properly.’  
‘Sure,’ Max replied. Chloe reached out an arm to switch on the purple lamp on Max’s nightstand. She looked back at the brunette, and suppressed a gasp.  
‘You weren’t joking when you said you couldn’t fall asleep,’ Chloe said, taking Max’s cold hand. ‘Have you been sleeping properly at all?’  
‘Not really,’ Max said, not meeting Chloe’s eyes. ‘I’ve been like this for a couple weeks now.’  
‘Woah,’ Chloe said, taking off her boots.  
‘What are you doing?’  
‘Getting into bed with you,’ Chloe responded, and Max blushed.  
‘Geez, Max,’ Chloe smirked. ‘I didn’t mean like that. I just thought that maybe I could help you get to sleep.’  
Max put a hand on Chloe’s shoulder, and Chloe looked at her.  
‘You can’t stay here, Chloe.’  
‘Why not?’  
‘Because what happens when my parents find you here? They will kill me. Plus, you didn’t bring pyjamas.’  
Chloe laughed, and Max pressed a finger to her lips.  
‘Be quiet!’ Max whisper-yelled.   
‘Sorry,’ Chloe mumbled. ‘But I don’t care about pyjamas. And I’ll just stay here until you fall asleep, then I’ll go.’  
Max hesitated.  
‘Are you sure about this?’  
‘Of course,’ Chloe said so genuinely that Max couldn’t resist saying yes.  
‘Fine,’ Max said reluctantly. ‘But you need to be out of here by five, just in case.’  
‘Of course,’ Chloe said and lifted up the sheets to get in. She wasted no time in getting comfortable and cuddling up next to Max, who sighed and gave into Chloe’s warmth. Breathing in the scent of her faint perfume, Max closed her eyes and focused on falling asleep.  
‘I love you so much, Max,’ Chloe whispered, pressing her lips against the top of Max’s forehead. ‘You don’t need to worry about anything. No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you. From now on, we’ll take on everything together. Forever.’  
Max smiled softly, and drifted into a long-overdue slumber, dreaming of her and Chloe. Together, forever.


	11. Melodies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A 2-year time skip in this chapter.

2 Years Later  
Max lay her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder, who was softly humming along to the music coming from the earphones that they were currently sharing, her eyes closed. The two teenagers were seated side-by-side on the firm seats on the bus, on the way to school. They had opted to shut out the sound of their loud classmates through music.  
The song, Colors by Halsey ended, and Max frowned slightly as the next song came on.  
‘What is this, Chlo?’ Max mumbled, and her girlfriend slowly opened her azure eyes to look at the brunette.  
‘It’s called “Girls/Girls/Boys,’ Chloe stated, a bit self-conscious. ‘It’s by Panic! At the Disco.’  
‘Who are they?’  
‘A band, duh,’ Chloe chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Max’s head.  
‘No shit,’ Max said, rolling her eyes.  
‘There’s actually only one band member left, Brendon Urie,’ Chloe explained, pausing the song so she could talk. ‘Everyone else left.’  
‘Poor guy,’ Max laughed. ‘Can you play the song so I can listen?’  
‘Yeah.’  
Max listened carefully to the electronic beats of the song, Chloe occasionally sneaking glances at her to try and guess what she was thinking.  
‘This is a sexy song,’ Max said halfway through, and Chloe snorted.   
‘I guess so,’ Chloe said as Max buried her face in the blonde’s neck with a smile. ‘But if you think the song is sexy, you should watch the video. He’s shirtless and covered in coconut oil.’  
Max laughed as Chloe gave her an exaggerated wink.  
‘It’s too early for this kind of music, Che,’ Max said, sitting up in her seat.   
‘Fine,’ Chloe smiled and changed the song. She was about to put her arm around her girlfriend when two boys in the double seat next to them on the other side of the bus leaned over to tap Max’s leg.  
‘Hey,’ the boy closer to them greeted. He looked only about thirteen, and dressed like a few of the people Chloe used to hang out with until Max become her number one priority.  
‘What’s up?’ Chloe asked, kind of weirded out by the randomness of the situation.  
‘We were just wondering… Are you dating?’ the boy questioned.  
‘Us two?’ Chloe asked, motioning to her and Max. ‘Yeah, we are.’  
‘Oh… Cool,’ the boy said.  
‘Why do you ask?’   
‘We were just curious,’ the boy looked away uncomfortably. ‘We’ve never met lesbians before.’  
Chloe snorted and Max blushed, taken aback by the remark.  
‘We’re no different to you…’ Chloe chuckled. ‘And to be clear, you don’t have to be a lesbian to date another girl. You can be bisexual, like Max here. She likes boys and girls. But there are many different sexualities.’  
‘That’s really cool,’ the boy said, looking puzzled. ‘Do your parents know?’  
Despite the pleading of her girlfriend, Chloe decided it would be best to be completely honest with their parents and told them all at once. William and Joyce seemed a bit disappointed, but accepted it. Ryan and Vanessa were a different story.  
‘What the hell do you mean you’re dating?’ Ryan asked, fuming.  
‘Surely she can’t be serious,’ Vanessa said, worriedly biting her manicured nails.  
‘…I am,’ Chloe said, glancing at Max. ‘We’re happy together, and we’re old enough to make our own decisions. I know it’s unexpected, but can’t you just be happy for us and accept it?’  
‘Whatever,’ Ryan said after a while. ‘I don’t care what you do anymore. As long as Max is happy, I’m okay with you… uh, dating. Even if I don’t particularly like it. Just make sure you take good care of my Maxine, alright?’  
‘Max, never Maxine,’ his daughter grinned, leaning in for a hug.  
‘Uh, yeah,’ Max replied, thinking back to when Chloe told them the news. ‘They were reluctant, but they were okay with it.’  
‘It’s not any different than if you were going out with guys,’ the boy said. ‘Why does gender matter? Why can’t everyone just be equal?’  
‘We wonder that too, kid,’ Chloe said, now putting her arm around the brunette.  
‘Kid? You’re only, like, a few years older than us,’ the boy said.  
‘Sure,’ Chloe said. ‘You’re pretty cool, kid.’  
The boy rolled his eyes and blew at his bangs (A/N: in Australia, we call bangs a fringe, so…) as he accepted Chloe’s offer of a fist bump. The boys went back to looking at their phones.  
Max sighed and looked up at Chloe, smiling. She put her earphone back in, handing the other to her girlfriend. They returned to their previous position, with Max in Chloe’s arms and lacing their fingers together.  
‘Can I call the band “Panic!” instead?’ Max asked. ‘It’s much easier than saying the whole thing.’  
‘Yeah, everyone does,’ Chloe said.   
‘Can you put a different song on by them?’  
‘Him.’  
‘Whatever!’  
There was a moment of comfortable silence between them before Chloe whispered ‘I love you,’ in Max’s ear. Max responded with planting a kiss on the blonde’s cheek. Chloe looked through the Panic! songs on her phone before settling on “Sarah Smiles.”  
‘This is the song he wrote for his wife,’ Chloe explained.  
‘That’s so sweet,’ Max cooed.  
They both listened to the song; Max focused on the lyrics. She looked up at her girlfriend who was softly singing along and knew that she was so lucky to be with Chloe.  
‘You fooled me once with your eyes now, honey  
You fooled me twice with your lies and I say,  
Sarah smiles like Sarah doesn’t care,  
She lives in her world so unaware,  
Doesn’t she know that my destiny lies with her?’  
Max snuggled up closer to Chloe, closing her eyes and absorbing the sound of Chloe’s voice.  
‘Oh Sarah, are you saving me?’  
The brunette interrupted Chloe’s sing-along with a swift kiss on the lips.   
‘Just imagine I said your name instead of Sarah’s,’ Chloe laughed and Max smiled at her lovingly.  
Yep. I’m pretty lucky, Max thought.


	12. Date

The only sounds that filled the air were the distant ticking of the clock on the wall and the frequent audible breaths coming from Max, who was sitting in a chair in her living room, reading a book. Since her parents were both working, she was left alone a lot of the time when Ryan and Vanessa spent many hours working during the weekends.   
The brunette was bored out of her mind and had nothing else to do, as everything she had wanted to do had been done already. Most of it was suggested from Chloe, and Max wanted new things to talk about with her. Plus, she loved the way her face lit up when her girlfriend spoke about something she was passionate about. She watched the new music video for Death of a Bachelor. She had binge-watched the first few episodes of Tokyo Ghoul. She had listened to Lana Del Rey’s new album. She had done countless other activities, and even though she wasn’t exactly interested in many of them, she wanted to for Chloe. Also, it was better than nothing.  
After she could think of nothing else to do, she settled on reading a book. She needed to increase her vocabulary anyway. Max loved the way books let her escape from reality, to find something much better. She had been getting a lot of shit at school for being in a relationship with someone of the same gender, and words hurt. Reading was something she could to feel numb for a while.  
She was getting fidgety and uncomfortable sitting in the chair for so long; she needed something to keep herself occupied. She felt her mind drifting as she found herself reading the same sentence over and over. With a frustrated grunt, she slammed her book shut and threw it onto the coffee table with a soft thud. Her mind wandered to a lot of places. Sometimes, Max swore that ninety per cent of her brain was song lyrics, mostly thanks to Chloe. She just laid back for a few minutes, eyes closed and her thoughts all jumbled, trying with no avail to control these random and intense thoughts and memories. Max let her mind ramble, until it went to one place she did not want it to go.  
Why am I thinking of Chloe naked?  
The brunette felt a blush creep into her cheeks, as she constantly tried to get her mind onto something else, anything. She failed, of course.  
Come on, Max. You’re way too young to be thinking of things like this. You’re such a pervert. Is this normal? Imagine what Chloe would think if she knew what you were thinking about right now!  
Max’s face froze as she slowly realised that she knew exactly would Chloe would think. She’d think it was hot. She’d think it was sexy. She’d think it would be better if their clothes were off.  
Max shook her head, still as red as ever, trying to rid her brain of these sexual thoughts. Seemingly on cue, she heard a knock on the door. She remembered that her parents told her never to answer the door when they weren’t home. She got up from her chair, straightening her clothes with a sigh and made her way to the front door. She stood on her tip-toes and looked through the peep-hole. It was Chloe.  
I wonder what she’s doing here?  
She cautiously opened the door to her girlfriend.  
‘Hey, Max!’ Chloe greeted with a swift kiss to the brunette’s lips.  
‘Hi, Che,’ Max said, trying not to think of the previous thoughts she’d been having about her girlfriend. ‘What are you doing here?’  
‘I thought I’d take you out,’ Chloe replied warmly, taking Max’s hand. ‘You must be bored here all alone.’  
‘I want to,’ Max replied. ‘But my parents wouldn’t let me.’  
‘Why not?’ Chloe asked, confused.  
‘I don’t know,’ Max said, running a hand through her hair. ‘They just worry about me.’  
‘Well, you’ll be safe with me,’ Chloe smiles. ‘Come on.’  
Max hesitates for a moment, imagining how angry and disappointed her parents would be if she did.  
‘Uh… okay,’ Max finally said, and Chloe’s face lit up. ‘But I have to be back before they get home.’  
‘Of course,’ Chloe said, squeezing Max’s hand. Max grabbed her camera bag and headed out the door. After locking it, Max slipped out and felt the afternoon breeze hit her face.  
‘Nice weather, huh?’ Max asked, putting her arm around Chloe’s waist.  
‘Yeah,’ Chloe sighed.  
‘So, what do you want to do?’ Max asked.  
‘We could do something simple like go for a walk along the beach or something,’ Chloe suggested, slinging her arm around Max’s shoulders as they started walking down the sidewalk. ‘I mean, if you want to.’  
‘I’d do anything with you,’ Max said lovingly. ‘Also, I like simple.’  
‘I love you, you know that?’ Chloe said.  
‘Yes, and I love you too,’ Max leant up and kissed Chloe’s cheek.  
‘Let’s go.’  
A few minutes later, they arrived at the beach: the one where Max had kicked Carter in his special place. Chloe laughed as she remembered the things that happened at this particular place, Max giggling along with her.  
‘I wonder what he’s doing now,’ Max thought out loud (cue Ed Sheeran).  
‘Probably fucking some random chick he met at the skate park or something,’ Chloe suggested, her face darkening.  
‘Nah, that kid is way too ugly,’ Max said, not even processing what was coming out of her mouth. ‘He wouldn’t be able to get laid for shit.’  
Chloe couldn’t hold back her giggles at this hilarious remark. It was rare for sweet little Max to say things like that.  
‘Maybe if he had a paper bag over his head,’ Chloe said. ‘He’d actually look better that way.’  
Their giggles died down as they stopped in front an ice cream stand, tended by a girl around their age with dark hair and a scowl that clearly stated she’d rather be anywhere but there.  
‘Natalie, what the hell are you doing here?’ Chloe asked, surprised at seeing her friend from a few years ago working at an ice cream stand.  
‘I’m working,’ Natalie said boredly, and blew at the bangs covering her eyes. ‘I needed a job, so why not, right?’  
‘Sure,’ Chloe laughed. ‘You remember Max?’  
‘I do,’ Natalie managed a small smile. ‘Nice to see you again. I knew you guys would still be friends. You were, like, joined at the hip.’  
‘We’re actually dating,’ Chloe explained, and Natalie’s face went blank before lighting up in realisation.   
‘Oh yeah, I remember you telling me you were gay!’  
‘Out and proud,’ Chloe said loudly, while Max blushed.  
‘I had no idea Max was gay too, though.’  
‘I’m not gay,’ Max said and Natalie looked confused. ‘I’m bisexual.’  
‘Oh…’ Natalie breathed, feeling a bit stupid. ‘Don’t bother explain what that means, ‘cuz I won’t get it. Congratulations, you guys!’  
‘Thanks,’ Chloe said. ‘Could we get some ice cream?’  
‘Oh, sure!’ Natalie perked up. ‘I forgot I had to do that.’  
‘I’ll get a strawberry scoop,’ Chloe said, reaching for her wallet. ‘What are you getting, babe?’  
‘Babe…’ Natalie whispered almost inaudibly, staring off into the distance.  
‘Vanilla, please.’  
Chloe paid for their ice cream cones, muttering a ‘Thanks, see you later,’ to Natalie, who returned the goodbye.  
‘You didn’t have to pay,’ Max muttered, licking at her ice cream.  
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Chloe said. ‘I have to be a gentleman.’  
‘But you’re a girl.’  
‘Doesn’t mean I can’t pay for my girlfriend’s ice cream. Why did you get vanilla, though? It’s so boring.’  
Max paused, thinking of what to say.  
‘Think of vanilla as a blank canvas,’ Max started. ‘Because it’s so plain, you can add different toppings and stuff to it, and it’ll taste good because there are as many flavours mixing together. For example, if you add… I don’t know, pineapple sauce to vanilla, it’ll taste better than chocolate ice cream and pineapple sauce.’  
‘Wow, that got really deep,’ Chloe laughed.  
‘It’s just my opinion,’ Max shrugged. She laced Chloe’s fingers with her own as they walked up along the beach.  
There was a cool breeze in the air, smelling like the ocean, unsurprisingly, and it wasn’t too sunny. It was perfect for them, as they were both wearing warmer clothes. The beach was empty apart from a few people walking their dogs and relaxing on the sand, but all Max could focus on was the wind in her hair and the warmth of Chloe next to her.  
‘Can I tell you something?’ Max asked hesitantly.  
‘Of course,’ Chloe replied, looking at her girlfriend.  
‘Um… I was thinking about you today.’  
‘I was thinking about you too,’ Chloe grinned.  
‘No, I mean… I was thinking about you’ Max blushed, trying to get her girlfriend to understand without actually saying the words. ‘In a weird way.’  
Chloe closed her eyes, processing the words.  
‘Were you thinking about me naked?’  
‘…Yes,’ Max turned even redder. ‘I’m sorry.’  
‘For what?’  
‘For invading your privacy.’  
Chloe laughed.   
‘It’s okay that you thought about me like that,’ she said, her smile growing wider. ‘In fact, I think it’s kind of hot.’  
Max thought she couldn’t possibly turn any redder.  
‘I just wanted to tell you.’  
Chloe planted a kiss on the top of Max’s head, and whispered, ‘I love you.’  
Max turned around and captured Chloe’s lips in a long, passionate kiss, one hand on the back of her neck and the other around her waist. Chloe leaned in to the kiss, tangling her hands in Max’s soft brown locks. Both girls heard a loud ‘Ew!’ and turned around to where the voice came from.   
There was a teenage boy sitting in a beach chair, smoking a cigarette with a disgusted look on his face.  
‘Fuck off!’ Chloe yelled.  
And much to Chloe’s delight, Max flipped him off.


	13. The Minor Appearance of Warren

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay. I actually updated.

‘No.’  
Chloe and Max had returned from their short date with a few hours to spare until Ryan and Vanessa came home from work. They were now sitting on the sofa in the Caulfields’ living room with a movie playing that neither of them were paying attention to.  
Their attention was on the other, Max sitting half in Chloe’s lap and Chloe’s arms wrapped around her girlfriend less tightly now since Max had asked her that question.  
‘What do you mean “no”?’ Max asked, brows furrowed.  
‘I mean, no,’ Chloe said, rolling her eyes. ‘Your family already hates me. I don’t need them hating me any more.’  
‘They don’t hate you, Chloe.’  
‘They do so,’ Chloe said with an annoyed tone. ‘Imagine what they’d say if they found out we were dating. Wait, do they already know?’  
‘No, they don’t, Max replied. ‘I asked my mom and dad not to tell them. I wanted it to be a surprise. Who knows, maybe they’ll be supportive.’  
Chloe snorted. ‘I wouldn’t think so.’  
‘Well, you’re not doing anything that day and your parents will definitely say yes,’ Max said, trying to convince her girlfriend. ‘I’ll be there, and I won’t leave your side. You can even take a breather in my room if it gets too much. Plus, I bet my grandpa would like to see you again. He thinks you’re cool.’  
‘I don’t know…’ Chloe said thoughtfully. ‘A day with your extended family?’  
‘It’s just lunch,’ Max explained. ‘You can leave at any time. We don’t even have to tell anyone that we’re dating.’  
‘I’ll think about it and give you an answer tonight, okay?’ Chloe said, pressing a kiss to the brunette’s temple.  
‘Alright,’ Max sighed, leaning in close to Chloe’s embrace once again.  
They cuddled with one another for a few moments before Max felt something warm at her neck and gasped.  
‘Wh- what are you doing?’ She stuttered, closing her eyes. Chloe pulled away from her girlfriend’s neck before responding.  
‘Marking you.’  
‘What?’  
‘I’m giving you a hickey, babe.’  
‘Oh,’ Max breathed out, not entirely sure of what was happening and the sensations she was getting from it. Her eyes remained shut as the blonde latched back onto her neck, trying to process the fact that her girlfriend was sucking at the skin on her neck and acting like it was something casual.  
It felt good, though.  
‘Holy shit,’ Max said softly.  
‘Is it alright?’  
‘Uh-huh…’  
Max could feel Chloe smirk as she pulled away once more and gently kissing the forming mark.  
‘You might want to wear a scarf tomorrow,’ Chloe grinned.  
‘I don’t care,’ Max giggled. ‘That felt good.’  
‘Good.’  
Chloe captured Max’s lips in a long, passionate kiss. She shifted the girl on top of her so that she was straddling her, knees on either side of her waist.  
‘I love you,’ Chloe whispered in the brunette’s ear before peppering her face and neck with hungry kisses. Max felt Chloe’s hands moving up and down on her back. She couldn’t help but to let out a small moan, and went to pull away but Chloe stopped her.  
‘It’s okay to make noise,’ Chloe encouraged, one hand reaching up to Max’s right bra strap. Max’s eyes widened, her own hand quickly returning Chloe’s to her hips.  
‘Sorry, I—‘  
‘It’s okay,’ Chloe cut her off. ‘I shouldn’t have done that.’  
‘I… I’m just not ready for anything like this yet,’ Max explained nervously, blushing. ‘I want to wait. I’m sorry.’  
‘Don’t be sorry,’ Chloe whispered, pushing a lock of hair back behind Max’s ear. ‘I just couldn’t help myself. You’re so amazing.’  
Max blushed harder and leant into the hand at her cheek which was pulling her in for a kiss. She happily obliged, and the two teenagers kissed passionately for a few minutes before they were interrupted by a beep coming from Max’s phone. Chloe pulled away and handed Max’s phone to her, stopping so she could read the text.  
‘Who is it?’  
‘It’s Warren.’  
Chloe raised an eyebrow. ‘Who’s Warren?’  
‘Um… He’s just a guy in my math and science classes,’ Max said, handing the phone to her so she could see what he said.  
‘How did he get your number?’ Chloe asked suspiciously.  
‘I gave it to him,’ Max responded. ‘So he could help me with homework. He’s really smart.’  
‘Oh,’ Chloe said, rereading the message.  
Warren: Hey, Mad Max! What are you up to? :)  
Chloe rolled her eyes.  
‘He sent you a smiley face.’  
‘…I know.’  
‘Is he into you?’  
‘Yep. He can’t take a hint.’  
‘Oh. He doesn’t have a chance with you. He knows that, right?’  
‘Uh… no.’  
Chloe looked at the brunette.  
‘You didn’t tell him that I’m your girlfriend?’  
‘It didn’t come up?’  
‘I’m flattered.’  
‘Shut up. I don’t want to turn away any potential friends.’  
‘Yeah, a friend is all he’ll ever be.’  
‘Of course, Che,’ Max smiled. ‘You’re my one and only.’  
‘Aww,’ Chloe cooed, kissing Max’s cheek. ‘You’re sweet. Now texting Warren back and tell him that you’re hanging out with your fantastic girlfriend.’  
‘Okay,’ Max giggled, typing a response.  
Max: I’m just watching a movie with my girlfriend. what are you up to ?  
It took a few moments for Warren to reply, and Chloe smirked.  
‘I bet he didn’t see that coming,’ she said, lacing her fingers with Max’s.  
Warren: Oh… I’m just catching up with my algebra homework   
‘What a nerd,’ Chloe said, and Max chuckled, cupping Chloe’s cheek in her hand and pressing her lips to Chloe’s in a sweet kiss.  
‘I love you,’ Max said, and Chloe grinned widely.  
Her grin quickly faded when they heard a key turn in the lock of the front door.  
‘Shit,’ Chloe breathed, picking up her bag and making a beeline for the back door so she could escape over the fence.  
‘Wait,’ Max said, and hurriedly walked over to Chloe, throwing her arms around her neck and breathing in her scent. It was a short embrace, but it was sweet, and it was enough to last Chloe until Monday. They pulled away for a short kiss before Chloe rushed out the door and out of sight.  
Max sighed and sat herself back down on the couch. She threw a blanket over herself and picked up her book tiredly just in time to see her mother and father walk into the room.  
‘How was your day, honey?’ Ryan asked, kissing the top of Max’s head.  
‘Fine,’ Max replied, hoping nothing gave her away.  
‘I hope it wasn’t too boring for you all day here alone,’ Vanessa said, walking around the room as if inspecting it.  
‘Sort of,’ Max said, flipping the page over.  
‘Wait.’  
Max turned around to see her mother holding out an empty DVD case.  
‘Why are you watching Blue Is the Warmest Color?’  
Shit.


	14. Pull Me Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shitty layout. I copied and pasted from a Word document and I don't know how to change it.

“So pull me down if you want to,  
And I hope that you want to  
Because I want to be your man,  
And I want to sing it loud.  
You can show me where trouble goes,  
Tell me secrets only trouble knows,  
‘Cause you want to be my girl  
And you want to sing it loud.”  
Chloe was sitting under a tree with her friends, listening to music like almost every lunch. She was sitting in between Justin and two new friends, Trevor and Eva. She and Justin had met the two at a skate park. Trevor was going out with a kind cheerleader named Dana, and Eva had a girlfriend who she did couple cosplays with. Eva’s sexuality had played a big part in hers and Chloe’s new friendship.  
Usually Max would be with them, but she was at a dentist appointment and had notified Chloe that she would be returning to school at lunch. Chloe was impatiently waiting for her girlfriend, listening to some music to pass the time. She wasn’t even aware that she was singing along until she caught the stares of her friends.  
‘What?’ Chloe asked, annoyed and embarrassed.  
‘You have a nice voice,’ Eva complimented, and Justin nodded in agreement.  
‘No I fucking don’t.’  
‘Yes, you fucking do, Chloe,’ Trevor said with a small chuckle.  
‘Whatever, dude,’ Chloe mumbled, rolling her eyes.  
The last time she was complimented on her voice was a week ago when she and Max were just hanging out in the brunette’s room, and she started singing The Sound by The 1975.  
‘My dad likes this band,’ Chloe had said happily.  
“She said, ‘I’ve got a problem with your shoes and your tunes but I might move in,’ and ’I thought that you were straight, now I’m wondering,’” Chloe sang.  
‘What the hell?’ Max laughed.  
‘It’s a song!’ Chloe smiled. ‘Well, I know when you’re around ‘cause I know the sound, I know the sound of your heart,’  
‘That’s cheesy as shit,’ Max said, putting her arm around Chloe’s shoulder.  
‘I know,’ Chloe responded. ‘That’s why I like it.’  
The blonde smiled at the memory before Eva’s voice snapped her out of it.  
‘Huh?’ Eva rolled her eyes.  
‘Uh, Earth to Chloe?’ Eva laughed. ‘You weren’t thinking about Maxine, were you?’  
‘She would kill you if she heard you say her full name, and yes, I was,’ Chloe replied, punching Eva’s arm lightly.  
‘Anyways, I was just saying that now you’ve cut your hair, you should go all out and dye it like I dyed mine red,’ Eva suggested.  
‘You think so?’ Chloe ran a hand through her now short hair.  
‘Definitely,’ Trevor agreed. ‘Maybe blue. That’d suit you.’  
‘I’ll think about it.’  
Eva took an earbud out of Chloe’s ear and put it into her own. Pull Me Down had just ended and something else had come on.  
‘What are you doing?’ Chloe asked, looking at Eva quizzically.  
‘I want to know what you’re listening to.’  
‘Is this Troye Sivan?’ Eva asked, almost disgusted.  
‘…Yeah?’ Chloe said. ‘Got a problem with that?’  
‘He’s a bit mainstream.’  
‘So?’  
‘I thought you weren’t into pop stuff.’  
‘He’s gay and he’s got a good voice,’ Chloe said. ‘His songs are cool.’  
‘Oh.’  
Eva pulled the earbud out of her ear and started showing Justin something on her phone.  
‘Oh wait, Cim just texted me,’ Eva said, grabbing her bag. ‘I’m going to meet her for lunch. See ya later.’  
‘Bye.’ The three said in unison.  
‘Trevor!’ A cheerful voice called out, and Chloe looked up to see Dana motioning Trevor over.  
‘I guess I’ll be going too,’ Trevor said as he walked over to Dana, who pulled him into an embrace.  
There was a moment of silence before Justin broke it.  
‘Then there were two.’  
‘Yeah,’ Chloe said boredly. ‘But Max will be here soon, and there’ll be three.’  
As if on cue, Max walked up to the duo, and gave Chloe a closed mouth smile. Chloe returned it as Max sat down in front of her.  
‘Hey, Chloe,’ Max greeted happily, giving her girlfriend a hug.  
‘Is that all I get?’ Chloe teased, leaning in for a kiss only to get blocked.  
‘Wait,’ Max said. ‘I didn’t tell you what was happening at the orthodontist for a reason.’  
‘…You didn’t.’  
‘I did!’ Max smiled, giving Chloe a full view of her teeth, which were removed of their braces.  
‘Holy shit, you got your braces off!’ Chloe said gleefully.  
‘Uh-huh!’ Max said. ‘I actually have to go home so I don’t “tire myself out” or whatever my mom said, but I can spend the rest of lunch with you. She’s just waiting in the car.’  
‘What do you mean, “tire yourself out”?’ Chloe asked, putting her arm around the brunette, who had shifted next to her girlfriend.  
‘My mom thinks I shouldn’t be at school after getting my braces off,’ Max replied, resting her head on Chloe’s shoulder.  
‘Oh,’ Chloe said. ‘I can go home with you.’  
‘You have to stay at school, Chloe,’ Max sighed. ‘You can’t skip anymore classes.’  
‘Aww, no fair,’ pouted Chloe. ‘You have to wear the retainer for a while, though, right?’  
‘Yeah, but not for a long time. You’re so lucky you were born with perfect teeth.’  
‘Max,’ laughed Chloe, ‘I wasn’t born with any teeth.’  
Max paused. ‘Oh. I am so stupid.’  
‘I know what you meant, and I shall accept your compliment even though you’re fucking wrong.’  
Max wasn’t able to respond due to a cough coming from beside her.  
‘Oh,’ she noticed the figure sitting next to her. ‘Hey, Justin.’  
‘Sup, Max?’  
‘Nothing much, just got my braces off.’  
‘Finally.’  
‘Shut up, Chloe,’ Max laughed. ‘I see you’ve grown some facial hair, Justin.’  
‘Sure,’ Justin shrugged.  
‘You look like a fucking walrus,’ Chloe added.  
‘Thanks, asshole.’  
‘You’re welcome,’ Chloe chuckled. ‘You seriously look like that walrus dude from Pingu, though.’  
‘You’re mean.’  
‘I try.’  
Max was laughing, to Chloe’s delight. She wouldn’t actually say it to her, but Max definitely looked prettier without her braces. Even though she had that retainer on, she no longer had a mouth full of metal, and Chloe thought she was gorgeous. Her teeth were much more even.   
‘You’re beautiful,’ Chloe said, and Max felt a blush creeping up her neck.  
‘Really?’  
‘Yeah. Especially without the braces.’  
Max laughed and pressed her lips to Chloe’s in a passionate kiss. They kissed for a while, Max’s hands moving to hold onto Chloe’s shoulder and waist, the blonde’s hands finding their way to Max’s cheeks. They pulled away for a moment for Chloe to say something to Justin.  
‘You’re being such a third-wheel right now,’ and she quickly closed the space between her and the brunette again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I named the chapter after Pull Me Down because I can’t think of titles. Eva and Cim are actually based on two Swedish cosplayers with the same names. They’re really cute, and you should check them out at Vandetta Cosplay. They are in the funniest AoT skits, Adventures At Titan High.   
> I was at my grandma’s for dinner tonight, and we were saying grace and shit because she’s religious as fuck. At the end, we all said Amen, except for me, who said Armin. I’m such a weeb.


	15. ...Awkward

Chloe couldn’t feel any more out of place as she looked around at the chattering family, talking about anything and everything while helping themselves to the meal Ryan had prepared. She felt like she didn’t belong at the table. She didn’t have anything to add to the stories Max’s aunt told everyone about Christmases spent together, or the memories Vanessa’s brothers recounted about their family camping trips. She had nothing to say, and was waiting for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.  
She tried to push down her anxiety, almost ready to have a panic attack. Chloe was seriously considering getting up from the crowded table and running all the way home, until she felt a soft, slender hand grab hers under the table and looked up to see her smiling girlfriend.  
Max leaned in and whispered, ‘Are you okay?’  
‘I’m fine,’ Chloe replied, giving Max’s hand a reassuring squeeze. As soon as the words left her mouth, Chloe’s smile faded. ‘Actually, can we go upstairs for a minute?’  
‘Sure,’ Max said. She whispered something to her mother, who nodded and gave Chloe a tight-lipped smile.  
Max grabbed Chloe’s hand and led her up to her room. Chloe exhaled as she sat down on the brunette’s bed, Max doing the same.  
‘What’s up?’ Max asked, taking Chloe’s hand once again.  
‘I just…’ Chloe started, not sure how to explain. ‘I feel so out of place. Like, I have nothing to talk about. And while they reminisce and tell their own stories and shit, they are still, like, judging me.’  
‘Oh, Chloe, they’re not judging you,’ Max said, wrapping an arm around the blonde’s shoulders. ‘They know you, and they’re comfortable with you. Just like you should be with them. Don’t be afraid to speak up or anything.’  
‘What do I talk about?’  
‘Anything relevant, I guess?’ Max suggested. ‘If you have anything that fits into whatever the fuck they’re talking about, just say it!’  
‘What if they ask me questions?’  
‘Then… You answer them?’  
‘What about questions about boyfriends and stuff?’ Chloe asked.  
‘Tell them you don’t have one, Chloe.’  
‘But I kinda want to tell them about us.’  
Max paused. ‘Why?’ She asked.  
‘Because I don’t want to keep you a secret. Especially not from your own family, Max.’  
‘…Do what you think you should do. Let’s go.’  
Max got up to exit the room, but Chloe pulled her back down, tilting her chin towards herself and bringing her lips closer to Max’s for a kiss.  
Trudging down the stairs next to Max, Chloe averted her gaze from the Caulfields. She took her seat and looked up to see a few family members looking at her (Max included), the rest finishing off their food.  
‘Are you girls okay?’ Max’s aunt asked. Chloe gave Max a quick smile before answering.  
‘We’re fine,’ Chloe responded. ‘Just needed a, uh, breather, that’s all.’  
Max’s aunt nodded in understanding.   
‘So, Chloe, I’m assuming you feel a bit neglected,’ Vanessa’s brother said.  
Chloe shot Vanessa a look that said, ‘What did you tell them?’  
‘Nothing,’ Max’s mother mouthed, holding her hands up in defense.  
‘Uh, what?’ Chloe let out a nervous laugh, running a hand through her hair.  
‘That’s no way to treat Max’s best friend, right?’ the brother went on.  
‘Heh, friend,’ Chloe chuckled, before realising what she’d said and going blank. ‘Nothing. Uh, what were you saying?’  
‘You probably want to talk,’ one of Max’s cousins added.  
‘Oh? No, I’m fine.’  
‘Come on!’ Max’s grandpa encouraged. ‘You’ve changed a lot. What are you into these days?’  
‘Uh… What do you mean?’ Chloe asked nervously, and grasped Max’s hand under the table to let her know she wasn’t doing so well with socialising.  
‘Hobbies? Things you like doing now?’  
Chloe realised that most of the table’s attention was on her now, and felt her face flush hot.  
‘Uh… I don’t know,’ Chloe said, at a loss for words. ‘I like skateboarding? And… punk music.’  
‘And singing,’ Max added cheerfully, to which Chloe shot her a glare.  
‘No. Not that.’  
‘Why’d you cut your hair, Chloe?’ asked one of the cousins. He was about ten, and Chloe couldn’t remember his name. Hell, she couldn’t remember half the names of the people sitting at the table.  
‘I just wanted a change I guess,’ Chloe answered, putting her cutlery down. She was finished anyway. ‘A friend of mine said I should dye it blue.’  
‘Ooh! You should do it!’  
‘If I do, I’ll do it a bit at a time,’ Chloe said, wanting to seem sociable and not like the awkward dork she was feeling like.  
‘Should I bring out dessert?’ Vanessa asked, resulting in affirmative answers. ‘I’ll be just a second.’  
‘Chloe, do you have a boyfriend?’ Vanessa’s father asked.  
Chloe’s eyes widened at the question. She knew it was going to come sooner or later; every teenage girl gets asked it. It’s inevitable.  
‘Uh, no.’  
She thought about it for a second. Was she really going to do this? She was.  
‘I’m not exactly, um, interested in boys.’  
That received silence from the table, and Chloe instantly looked down at her lap, where Max’s and her own hands were still entangled. After a moment, she decided to go for it. She found that the silence motivated her for her next move. A very, very risky move.  
‘In fact, I’m dating your granddaughter.’  
A loud crash was heard in the kitchen, followed by a series of gasps from various family members.   
‘Sounds like Vanessa dropped the cake,’ Max’s grandpa said.  
‘No shit, Bernie,’ his wife responded sharply, getting out of her to seat along with a few others to help clean up the mess.   
Chloe was almost afraid to look at her girlfriend. The girlfriend whose family she had just come out to, bringing her with her. She turned around to see a red-faced, embarrassed as fuck Max.  
‘Sorry?’ Chloe could barely squeeze out before she was cut off by Max’s grandmother.  
‘Maxine, is this true?’  
‘Um…’ It seemed forever before the brunette finally answered, barely loud enough for everyone to hear.  
‘Yeah.’  
Chloe’s heart fluttered at the sound of that one word. She slowly put her arm around Max’s shoulder, not caring about if anyone saw anymore. She wanted Max’s family to know that Max was… not so straight.  
She felt the heat of Max’s cheek as she pressed a soft kiss to it, eliciting another gasp from an aunt or whatever. Chloe couldn’t care less. The only thing she cared about at that moment was her girlfriend.  
Her beautiful Maxine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the crappy ending, and also the layout. I don't know how to fix it. I wanted to write this after playing through all routes and ending of LOVE IS STRANGE!! It’s so amazing, and I’m so thankful for it, holy shit. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, I definitely recommend it. I’m so happy about this. My ships all sailed~


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